L'Exil...est retourné!

This is an 'OK Go' video from that old Google favourite 'YouTube' - maybe some good moves for the dance floor on Saturday night?

Max Mann Alexis (near) and Charlotte (far)...I think, they're identical twins... Maia, the Otaki prodigy

Check me out! Yep, I got sucked in too...

Fuck me! So it's pretty windy here today, nothing like a good Wellington southerly, but still windy - and warm. So I decided to go down the beach to check it out because i could hear the surf from my house (about 3 blocks away). Sure enough, the surf was up, although not as much as you might expect, but probably because there was not a lot of swell, just wind chop. And the wind was blowing, and boy was it blowing! It was like a desert wasteland down the beach, all trace of other humans had gone. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I stood behind a log on the beach just after I had been paddling in the water...and got sand blasted! The photo shows that the wind was blowing the sand so hard that it pierced my skin and drew a bit of the old claret! Moral of the story: wear long solks for walking, like Mr. Wildeboer from Taupo-Nui-A-Tia College.

This is a little bit of clip art i've just done in my Sony Ericsson W810i mobile phone, which I thought was pretty cool. These other photos are from the U2 concert on friday night at Mount smart stadium in Auckland, home of the Warriors (or Wowwiors as some would say...). It was pretty good concert, I got a little bit bored at times as some of the music is hard to dance to, at least for me. It was the first time i'd been to a concert on my own, and definitely the last - although i knew heaps of people there i'd bought my ticket at the last minute and only just got in on time before the gig started. They held the show up for us - it was very poory organised by Ticketek. If you're going to release another 1,000 tickets be prepared for the inevitable venue pick-up!! Fucks sake. Bono had his usual political rant - "Everyone hold up their cellphones, it will light this place up like a Xmas tree" (it did and was pretty special), and then the big message c...

Does anyone outside of that microcosm of Auckland actually give a fuck? I say Eden Park, and then they should put the waterfront concept to a significant public consultation exercise a bit later on. It’s not Wellington. This is possibly the worst consultation exercise ever – although on the other hand, a good healthy public debate like they had tonight on TV always helps – 25, 000 people rang in! I reckon it was one person 20,000 times who lives just across the road from the proposed waterfront location! BTW – what sort of consultation limits access to those who can afford to pay the 0900 number fee!!? Don Brash: Seemed like a bit of a flake in the first place. Don was just one of the suits on Lambton quay that got lost and ended up over his head, dicing with Michael Cullen on the front benches. I loved the classic shot of him trying to get into that speedway car! Just flicked over to the Māori channel, which I think is great and they hated him. “Ever since Orewa he has been m...

When the world gets too much, or you've had a bad day just click here

This is what Raphael Ibanez is throwing into the NZ lineout on Saturday, we're going to kill'em! Nonu will be outstanding and that's all there is to it. PS. Rugby league is almost as much bullshit as heavyweigt boxing, which is lamost as crap as wrestling...in my humble opinion.

What have I done today? not much really, just a bit of business admin according to my timesheet. Filled in a job application at the MfE which could be good. Talked to some PhD guys in Sydney which could lead to a scholarship hopefully in the new year. otherwise not much news. this has to be the worst kept blog ever. clearly not enough time on my hands like these Govt chaps... I could turn it into a porn blog which would keep me entertained at least. or what about a sports blog. or quiz night. or...what is that Radio Sport about? don't they just talk shit on there for hours on end, who gives a flying fuck about the Auckland stadium! the Government have already decided on what they want in the worst show of consultation ever. Go the Clarke dictatorship!

This is one of the photos I should have taken when I left...the view from the track up to the Mount. That is the Mount Maunganui Main Beach in the background. Dad proving his doctors wrong up the top of the Mount 6 months after his hip operation and heart scare.

Man N.Z is soo cruisy! Great coffees, damn good eggs Benedict down at Sidetrack Café down the base of the Mount, crazy accent eh bro (apparently I sound like a pom), big meaningless numbers on price tags, walks up the Mount, beach volleyball, smiling and friendly people as you walk past them in the street and the list goes on… Went up the Mount today and you could see all the way to Pauanui (I think) in the north, and across to White Island, and down to Whale Island off from Whakatane. It was a magic day. Finally. It’s good to be back. It’s good to see the old man again and take him up the Mount for the first time since his op (admittedly we did take a special spray in case of emergency which opens up the arteries and a registered nurse…). The old lady is still obsessed with bowls, but in her defence she is playing with a former gold medal winner. Met my little nephew Max who at first was not quite sure what to make of his Uncle with the gollywog hair. Sister Josie has twins on th...

So here I am sitting in a hotel room somewhere in Chinatown in Singapore central, sneezing away merrily to a cold/flu type thing I picked up in E’s flat and that got passed around in a matter of a couple of hours to everyone. It’s 7.30 in the morning and the birds are out. I’ve just finished reading George Orwell’s ‘Down and Out in Paris and London’, which gives an interesting insight into post-war living for beggars and the whys and wherefores of poverty. “A beggar, looked at realistically, is simply a businessman, getting his living, like other businessmen, in the way that comes to hand. He has not, more than most modern people, sold his honour; he has merely made the mistake of choosing a trade at which it is impossible to grow rich.” I’ve been thinking about some of things about London and the U.K, and what would I take home back to N.Z with me from the place? Firstly, the diversity of life: how many other places in the world can you find just about every creed, race and na...

Just found out I have a 30 hour layover in Singapore on my way home - so suddenly the £450 flight doesn't look so good any more! I've booked myself into a hotel to ease the pain, courtesy of my overdraft, and intend to have a look around while i'm there. Any ideas? Well only two more days to go in old Blighty, for the moment anyway. Rugby World Cup 2007 watch out! Aside from that, not much else to report. Sent my boxes back home by freight this morning. Packep up the shisha pipe in various guises so as not to appear to suspicious to MAF and NZ Customs. It is crazy that shisha pipes are illegal to bring into NZ, that rules out the majority of the Muslim male world where just about everyone does it, it's almost a racist policy. Went out for a very nhice meal last night to Singburi, a Thai restaurant in Leytonstone that has the feel of someone's rumpus room, very cosy. Ate so much my stomach hurt. Wellington to win by 12 and under.

Today i've done nothing. But sleep. I should be phoning up shipping companies to find out how much it costs to box stuff home, but I already know. I have a job interview in Milton Keynes on Tuesday for an Open Space Officer or something like that, it is a contract job and they want to pay me £22/hr. That's good money, but it's Milton Keynes. To be honest, I can't be bothered. I've found a scholarhsip at the University of Sydney for coastal stuff studying under the right guy, doing the right thing (almost) - $25k/yr for 3 years. This last month has been all about options. Australia? Work? New Zealand and Summer? PhD? London and pounds sterling? It's been a bizarre expererience, so much so that I didn't really now what to do. Like a buffet or smorgasboard with too many treats to chose from. However, i've made my decision now and I'm sticking to it, through thick or thin. I feel kind of lucky that I have so many options, I know a lot of people who woul...

After hours of deliberating, days even of sitting aroound, pacing, and trying to figure out what to do now that the visa has expired and I have no plans...I have a plan! I've just bought my ticket home to Kiwiland for the bargain price of £465 one-way, and now I ave somehting to do! Yippee! I was going crazy there for awhile, I thik my brain has been asleep for too long, it's time I put it into work. So the plan is this: head home and go to the beach and check out the Mount Reef, get some contract work maybe at EBOP or somewhere else around town, save up some cash, figure out what i'm going to do around Xmas, start formulating the PhD ideas, look for Uni's with scholarships, look for work in Australia, find it and start it, a couiple of special weddings to attend in NZ, flag the Cricket World Cup, and look forward to the Rugby World Cup in France! Yeah. Sweet, what a weight off my mind!

The genius posts were inspired by this...and the movie 'The Assassination of Richard Nixon' - a very depressing movie.

From the Oxford Dictionary online: 'genius' /jeeniss/ • noun (pl. geniuses) 1 exceptional intellectual or creative power or other natural ability. 2 an exceptionally intelligent or able person. 3 (pl. genii /jeeni-i/) (in some mythologies) a spirit associated with a person, place, or institution. 4 the prevalent character or spirit of a nation, period, etc. — ORIGIN Latin, also in the sense ‘spirit present at one’s birth’, from gignere ‘beget’. Everyone has heard the expression "...great minds think alike". but what does it mean? What is it referring to? Do great minds really think alike? If all minds thought alike, would we still get innovation? Genius can also be defined as: = intuis (wisdom) = cognis (knowledge) = technis (practical ability) and in addition, those people are often in possession of a 'special vision'. How valid is an IQ test? IQ? Is it just a social construct? What does it measure exactly - capability/cognitive ability? What about emo...

Apparently that is the chemical reaction for crack cocaine...I was reading about the Mongrel Mob on Wikipedia and then the Crips and then DRUGS. If you get a chance you should watch the Ross Kemp documentary on Gangs in N.Z - something you don't really get to see back home.

another video pilfered from Youtube...

Extract from Stuff.co.nz regarding Wellingotn's upcoming game against Canterbury at the Caketin, and Neemia Tialata shows he is just a gigantic mama's boy: It will be McCaw's first return to Westpac Stadium in a red-and-black jersey since the Crusaders match on April 1. He was an obvious target for the Hurricanes that night, and when their inability to blunt his impact boiled over, things turned nasty. Flanker Jerry Collins hurled the ball at McCaw's head and prop Neemia Tialata looked keen to throttle McCaw as he lay on the ground. The incident sparked an outcry that Tialata has since said he was oblivious to till he got home later that night. "I knew straight away when I saw the look on my mum's face that I had done something wrong," he said. "I hadn't thought much of it at the time but I could recall that I had my hands around Richie's throat at one stage. "She pulled out the jandal and threatened to hit me that night – so I have learn...

Extracts from the diary: That's exactly what it is. None of this Personal Identity Number (PIN) crap. This was from a cash machine in Maroc - Casablanca even. I've decided it would be a good idea to make up some travellers business cards to hand out to the random people you meet on your travels. After all, you never have a pen or a piece of paper. But what if you just had a stack of 'personal cards' - could come in handy at the pub too. Everyone can swap myspace.com accounts...and count all their friends! Wow, it must be comforting to know you are their 253rd friend and are part of someone's extended network...Given the amount of people I tend to meet it would be pretty much impossible to keep in contact with all of them. Maybe that's a interesting aside of the internet - the ability to keep hold of acquaintances more easily. So the question is when do acquaintances become friends? In saying that i have and still do have regular contact with a lot of people I h...

Yep that guy got rescued and then resuscitated just minutes after we had been rolling around in the water at that spot (too dangerous to swim). Massive surf in a small cove with waves breaking in all directions...

This is Peniche, Supertubos through a crazy filter And now i'm back..from outer space.. I've got that stupid song stuck in my head from last night out in Brick Lane with some of Ellie's mates, they just kept singing it over and over. You also know when you're back in London when you're cycling down the street and people feel they can shout out to you about not having lights on your bike - two old ladies at a crossing 'We could hardly see you without lights, mate!'. I know, there is no need to tell me - just get over it. So...made it back in one piece from Maroc, and then from Spain where Sevilla was amazing, lost my shoes in Tarifa, lost my towel and a pair of boxer shorts in Fes, and then spent about 10 days lazing around on various beaches of Portugal and France! Was pretty good. Kept a little bit of a journal for a while in Maroc when I was on my own but satopped that in France, so will try and post a few comments from that up as well. Also have put some ...

Dear mum, it has been a long time since I last wrote, and I know how you have all been missing it (all three of you that actualy read this crappy page), so here goes... I am now in Portugal and have met up with a mae from EBOP and we are travelling up the coast from Lisbon in a rental car loking for gnarly tubes to ride. I mostly watch because it has been to big for us learners, but it is still fun all the same. We have found some reallt nice beaches, and they are mostly deserted or have only a few people on them as it is past the main tourist season - definitely the best time to come over to Portugal. I have taken heaps of photos but the little Flickr badge that you normally click on to go and see tem has disappeared...even this is too complicated for me. Little known facts: - 1L of Wine can be bought for 50 Euro cents from the supermarket and it actually tastes ok - travelling on your own is great as you can do whatever the hell you want, whenever the hell you want to do it - unless ...

Dear Mum and Dad, I am getting rather fond of these letters home, as you know it is good for the soull, and peace of mind to write away your thoughts. I am currently in Casablanca at the moment, where absolutely no scene of Bogart's film of the same name was shot here. Disappointing. In actual fact, unless you are wanting to visit the Ministry for Exploitation (it does exist, but i'm sure it has some alternative meaning) and conduct your bisiness in expoiting the wealth of natural resources, labour that is on offer here in Mazroc, there is not much to see. Yesterday, i let one of these government sponsored guides from the Tourism Syndicate Initiative office take me around the old medina, the Hassan II mosque (the world's 2nd or 3rd largest depending on who you talk to and what you read) which is built on the edge of the Atlantic to fulfil what it says in the Koran, the museum which housed....absolutely nothing apart from some very ornate tiling (i would definitely hire a Mo...

Le dunes at Erg Chebbi on the edge of the Sahara

Dear mum, I had my first, second and last cigarettes yesterday. I don't know what the fuss is all about. In a moment of weakness it was all over. I thought I looked cool hanging around the pizza shop in Essaouira Morocco for a while though... For a change its been quite cool at the coast, its been 45 degrees plus inland in Marrakech which for those of you that dont know is incredibly hot. The sweat just doesn't stop. In the desert, on the edge of the Sahara, the sweat evaporated straight after it came out giving my skin a very weird feeling. When it is that hot you cant do anything. So I had to leave Marrakech and Hotel Ali with its all you can eat bufet for breakfast and dinner for 100dh or 10 euros. Who says you need a job when you can live like a king in another country? The cheapest room I have had is 40dh which was a rooftop terace overlooking Djema el Fna the main square in Marrakech. The room I have now is 10dh but has the best viez in town overlooking King Phillip II of...

Tuesday 22 August. Got no sleep at the Hostal in Lagos as we had turned it into party hostel for the night. Then got up at 4.30am to hitch a ride with two Israeli girls down to Gibraltar to investigate ferries to Maroc. Only fery sailing is on Friday from Gibraltar so muct go into spain again. This place is just like Little Britain - streetsigns are the same, there's a Morrisons. Ceapest booze ever, cheap smokes and perfume, tax haven for gamblers (where the two girls work in customer service). Check out some of the photos from the flickr site by clicking on the little badge to the right. Not sure how expebnsive it is here, but hopefully I can change money on the cheap! Need a shave. Thinking I should start a company in Gibraltar to get tax benefits. Wikipedia - Gib

I've spent a week in Portugal now and I love it. Apart from the summer holiday feel because there are way too many perople around. So I think I might take my time coming back from Maroc and spend some more time on the Algarve and souther Spain. Have got a few names of places from a guy I met on the surf camp. Surf camp was not just for old men but for all walks of life. I perfected a few different styles and even managed to get up goofy and frontwards (i.e. two feet in front). The waves were pretty good, we had no swell for the first few days so did a lot of wake surfing, but then they picked up later on in the week and we had some monsters which you couldn't even paddle out in. So was all good. Atlantic Riders website - our surf safari Diet consisted of pasta, beer is so cheap 1.50 euro for a sixer of Sagres or super Bock. We get absolutely caned on the tax I realise now. Now I need to find a good steak. Went to a bullfight last night which was col - they don't kil the b...

so yeah like my flight was supposed to leave at 6.30pm, and its over two hours late. the beach is not getting any closer man! turned up 3.5 hours before departure as well because of the chaos at airports, only to find it was a bit of a waste of time and i could have just turned up late. funny thing is though, everyone is very relaxed about it all, very patient. no big arguments or anything, quite surprising really. guess they really do love to queue...

Hull Daily Mail article I got my photo taken and a few quotes about the Council's greenfield policy almost straight after I finished work for the East Riding. These two fellas just bowled up to my house randomly and asked if they could ask a few questions and take a photo or two. So I said 'Yep, no worries - perfect timing timing too, as I've just finished working for the Council's sustainable development team!' Shame the photo's not on the web, but it does show my receding hairline and a pretty relaxed looking dude leaning over the railing of Beverley Beck...or this uppity kiwi guy expousing about the wonders of the NZ countryside...blah, blah, blah. Oops.

Well what have I done this week? I finished work on Monday which was a relief. I have discovered that policy work is not necessarily my cup of tea. But in saying that, I have been working in one of the most dysfunctional set-ups around. Maybe a different experience would change that perception? Since Monday i've been packing my minimal belongings and have hired a Peugeot 307 wagon to get down to the big smoke. It will be good to escape the small town idyll. Had a pretty good time up here, met some really cool people that I hope to keep in touch with for a long time. Word.

This week has been surreal really. I've gotten over the constant office politicking, the bullshit, the rumours....and my eyes are beginning to glaze over. I'm really looking forward to the holiday (Portugal to surf, Morocco to chill, and then drive around Portugal, northern spain and into France for the ASP World Surfing tour event in Biarritz) with a vengeance. Of course it'll get a little bit more serious when i return, short of cash probably, looking for a flat, a job and hopefully a visa. If I don't get the visa second time around, then i'm screwed. Guess i'll be off to Ireland or something. I've probably worked harder in these last few weeks than I have done in this 'working holiday' job for a long time. The motivation had left some time ago, and boredom promptly kicked in. hence regular trips down to the capital etc.. however i've now done my small town England experience and I've met some really good people while here. Friends i'l...

This is from the BBc website: "It is the first time this year temperatures have met the criteria for a Met Office Heat-Health Watch warning...This is because there is a lower temperature threshold before a warning is issued in Yorkshire and the North East, as people are less used to hot weather." heatwave in the north

i'm blaming slippery hands more than anything, but see for yourself. this was in mexico at agua azul or i think 'blue water'

Solving problems like Zizou check this video out its fantastic...and his excuse was 'I am still a man after all'. What a dude.

and some badges to try wearing at work...or at home

Quit you jibber jabber!

that was a mean birfday weekend, thanks to those of you that got off your arses and helped me enjoy it, thanks for the all the birthday wishes. all i can say is that the chili's rocked sheffield. i lost my voice. ben harper was only average this time. throwing plastic bottles full of piss at concerts is the next olympic sport. maybe jerry collins chould enter? lost all my money at the races. met a sexy young lass at a cocktail garden bar in beverley i never knew existed.mmm becky i love you. epic saturday night in london dancing until the sun came up. and then carrying on. more sexy women. damn i love that place! caught up with the crew from egypt. watched the tennis, expected an epic encounter, got served a wannabe. zizou where are you now? but what a headbutt! who says football is for nancy boys? AB's won. listening to it on the internet sucks the phat one. bring on sky. bring on pubs that open before noon. moving to london in about 4 weeks! sweet. getting my wisdom teeth out...

Well works all over. The last day of my contract is 31 July and I can't wait. A chance to dry up and dry out, get on the bandwagon and go out and live life again (Thanks to AA for that support). "Just gotta get outta this place, if it's the last thing I ever do". Seriously, it's not been that bad, just a bit quiet for my extra-super-gregarious personality... But I'm not the only one...Rich has gone (my Senior Coastal Officer has emigrated to NZ because he loves Kaikoura!), June's gone, and everyone else is going. Like rats off the Titanic. It's fair to say we have left them in the lurch somewhat. Am I bothered? Bring on Portugal, northern Spain, and south of France...then maybe a dash of Morocco to finish it off. Are ya jealous? Are ya?

This World Cup is brilliant! I love not having to get up at 3 in the morning etc. to watch the games...so civilised, so English. Sipping my Earl Grey as I watch the game. I really did mean Guinness. Watching Spain take on France at the moment, youth versus experience, a classic battle. Shame about Ghana though, the score in their game against Brasil should have been something like 7-5 there were sooo many chances. Makes me want to get out and play footy again, shame that the shin splints have resurfaced...been forced into hacky sack, swimming and fast fret finger picking...or just thrashing around on the fretboard singing Chili's songs badly

The predominantly rural East Yorkshire coastline is one of the fastest eroding coastlines in Europe, with soft cliffs receding at a rate of almost two metres per year for much of the length of the coast. The nature of the coastline is such that it lends itself to rapid coastal erosion. This is largely due to the combination of loosely consolidated post-glacial sediments and a locally rising sea level. These facts together with a long recorded history of human habitation stretching back at least as far as Roman times has led to the loss of numerous villages and communities to the ravages of the sea. In the last 2000 years, at least 32 villages have been lost to the ravages of the North Sea. Despite this history people and communities persist in living right on the edge – perpetuating the hazard. Therefore in terms of coastal hazard management the only realistic option is one of managed retreat. The traditional seawall approach is costly and unsustainable, and can not be justified ...

The week that was…some time ago Started off with a trip down to London to see Fat Freddy’s Drop, a Wellington band sell out the Brixton Carling Academy on the Friday night. Met up with Ellie and some of her friends beforehand, but didn’t manage to find Sammy in the throng which was a bummer. Was a fantastic gig, the brass section of the band, the singer, and the backing vocalists were all standout. They played a selection of their songs from the new album and got the crowd really grooving.  Funnily enough full of kiwis! Next day I got up to go and see the All Whites play Brazil in Geneva. Flew from London city airport which is about as big as Wellington airport if not smaller – a bit bigger than Tauranga airport to meet up with Paul, a mate of mine from NRM days at Varsity. Can’t say I liked Geneva too much, pretty uninspiring city full of UN workers and other foreign nationals – but this weekend mostly full of kiwis and Brazilian families. Was nice and hot though, and I manag...

Now this is a picture that tells a story...

Ooh new plans for the weekend of the July 8/9 - back down to london to mix it up with the DJ crew at some random gig being played by Ellie's mates. Should be alright. New ITINERARY: july 6 - concert and sheffield july 7 - back to bev for the races July 8 - down to london for the gig.

God this arvo has been boring. The ticket girl finally turned up at 5.45pm - I was waiting since 9am, and then she only had one ticket! There must be a better way!! I've done this: Red Hot Chili Peppers/Ben Harper concert – Thursday 6 July from 3pm at the Don Valley stadium in Sheffield. I’m gonna take the Thursday and the Friday off leaving me to celebrate the whole weekend, another year on my life, and no grey hairs as yet (hah! And none that anyone can see thanks to the curly headed-mass!). Sheffield – you can get a train from London for as little as £6 (one way) if you book early enough. So do it! We will definitely need accommodation in Sheffield that Thursday night (for those of us going to the concert), so I was thinking about getting a hostel. Then there is the possibility of an evening race meeting at Beverley racecourse on Friday 7th (I think the first race could be 6.30 or so?) – or just hanging in Sheffield for the weekend. I think the cheapest option could be to hea...

I'm definitely more of a thinker than a doer. And I do my best work after a few beers, hence why we have team meetings down the pub now...magic. the formal response to the Government's Marine Bill (a bit like NZ's proposed Oceans Policy) will be handled in such fashion.

Today, as my boss would say has been very 'flustrating'. I've been hanging around since 9am waiting for the ticket delivery people to turn up. they say anywhere between 9 and 5pm, but can't guarantee what time!! Crazy system. And I can't get them delivered at work either. And the Hurricanes lost, although no one is too sure because they couldn't see the game because of the fog. C'mon ticket person!

Is there an old adage about this I dont know? But which is more important - a person's actions, or a person's words?

Speaking of Guinness...had another long lunch break down at the old local playing a bit of sticks. Was very nice. Had a series win. Then spent the afternoon punching holes in a massive Shoreline Management Plan (update)...Do not attempt at home, requires at least two degrees and significant concentration... Buy the new Chili's album, it rocks! "Snow (Hey Oh)" I like. John Frusciante has reached a new level and reinvented solo's. See - all that heroin must have been good! And on another front, the general state of play has improved somewhat in the last hour or two, my proof of qualifications has arrived and therefore I am ready to send off my HSMP application. £700-odd later...and some very odd months later, I might have a clue as to what i'm doing!! Yeah, I know I don't really believe I'll know what i'm doing either...I could be English soon...

It’s safe to say that I don’t get women. Then it’s also safe to say that women don’t get me. For one I’m just too bloody open and clearly haven’t learnt the art of keeping my mouth shut.  I’m blaming my large amount of sisters for my constant need to talk all the time! They say that every relationship is perceived through the experience of past relationships.  I think my last relationship was with a pint of Guinness – smooth, creamy, and gave me a warm feeling all over.

Google owes me like $4.57 or summin for those ads over there...hmmm that's not even a Lite Beer in NYC!! Dagnabbit

Can they do it for this man? Do true Wellington fans really believe? There was that one time in the NPC a few years ago when it all clicked...I think they will have to play out of their skins. The Crusaders will just frustrate them with a wall of defence, turn the ball over and then kill us on the breakout. Assuming we can win some ball..maybe its better if we dont!!

As some of you know I am going through the process of trying to sort my life out, get out of this town and head for greener pastures, firstly i need a new visa. If I strike the rigt officer, I could be in! see the story below: Sex for immigration in the UK... I think this is what happens when you tick the fast track application box on your Visa form...if you work for us, we work for you!

Whats up! Hope the 'Canes win this weekend, and win big. I'd back them with a bit of money, if I had some...need to get my new car sorted soon as really. Am stuck in Beverley at the moment and it's no good. Nowt to do. So therefore do something about it! Tennis I reckon, maybe some hiking action. Something. Meanwhile the grand master plan slowly takes shape. Think I'll be doing it on my own, love to do it with someone else...it would be all good. I have unfinished business here though for sure - both work and personal. And I'm a determined bugger so bring it on!! At the moment I feel like there is lots of things I need, but I think i just need an ear. Lots of stress going on at the moment. Ahh. And this is a grand place to make you feel isolated. Guess I'm just pissed off that things aren't going my way, a classic tom-type tantrum - just like the old mini-golf ones!! I hate variables! Need to get me a visa ASAP. One of them days methinks.

The best diet if you're into fad diets is one of moderate drinking, lots of coffee, stress, and then an exercise regime that near kills you! The other ingredient is a poor eating regime... Gonna start eating chip butties now for breakfast with gravy..mmmm...my window to obesity.

I've just realised i'm getting pretty fit now...so fit i've lost a few kilos! now I don't have many to lose so will have to find them again! I reckon I could do a triathlon now if there were any around. Anyways, been having a bit of grief at work over the visa situation. Our HR Dept dont really want to set a precedent by supporting financially my Highly Skilled Migrant visa Application. I was a bit pissed off by this as Council (all my myriad of bosses thus far) have been very supportive. So I gave up the opportunity of working anywhere else in the hope and expectation that I would get a sponsored visa. I could have been doing soo much else. Anyway my one year of working on the Working Holiday scheme is about to blow over, and the year long holiday is about to start - unless I get the visa myself. Which I am doing. So fuck 'em. So much for loyalty and staff retention. It will cost them a lot more to hire anyone new, and they lose me...haha. I'm on the ball now, ...

Here it is, in a nutshell as they say: continue working in the UK (note I didn't necessarily say the East Riding of Yorkshire - wishful thinking) until about Feb next year. Head back to NZ for the grand wedding of the century with the Snuffindell and Red Force whenever that might be...gather the crew (or anyone in the Beige Brigade) and head to the Windies sometime after that to lax out on the beach with a couple of good friends, such as a beer in one hand, and a .... in the other. Cruise the islands with all the cricket freaks, actually I might lose them by going underwater a lot and getting one of 'dem SCUBA passes. A certain Rooster could help in that department. Then hit Cuba, rent a Cadillac, and smoke a cigar (even though I don't like them) and salute Che. From Cuba, hopefully the other countries will let me in...Guatemala, Honduras, Panama grabs me, Costa Rica looks amazing, Venezuela, semi-keen to run the Colombian border (you never know if I get caught, they may ha...

White vans suck! Well my freedom has temporarily ended, the van blew itself up on the wya to london on the Friday before bank holiday weekend. Cracking! Actually I wasn't too upset, it was a very nice day and i was in a quaint little village called Atterby, actually it was more like a hamlet, and actually it turned out that it didn't havea gas station. There was a pump, but the pump had cobwebs, and an old lady speaking broad Yorkshire at me through a window. Damn i needed oil! I was told the thing drank oil (I think), but I wasn't told about the blockage underneath with the big end rings banging about in the breeze. Guess I needed to drain the oil and change it completely? Anyway, I was only 35.7 miles into the trip to London and still some way from the lovely town of Lincoln (and it is nice apart from the weird looking people...sorry uncle Tony). the story takes a turn for the comical, I had joined the AA breakdown service 2 hours before I left (I guess i knew!) thanks t...

Kiwi's or Kea's? This is an interesting read.

We made it there, and we made it back. And it wasn't too cold, nut nothing was open. We left the north of England the Thursday before Easter, hit London for a couple of nights and flew out to Reykjavik on Saturday night. When we got there the northern lights had just appeared and gone again! Was good to catch up with a few of the crew from the Egypt trip in London, smoke some sheesha again and get a curry down Brick Lane before hitting the Big Chill Bar. Have just posted the photos from the trip on flickr so feel free to have a look, I hope you've alll worked it out by now! Start a slideshow! Nevertheless, Iceland basically closes down over Easter as they have a few more stautory days holiday than everyone else. Plus the Thusday after we left was the first official calendar day of summer - big party! Crack out the jandals and the SPF Factor 15+!! So pretty much nothing open, no cafe's, no restaurants - just really shabby supermarkets. We needed our coffees! Sadly it was not...

Words of wisdom from my nephew Rory in Sydney: "...easter is when God died to save us all and then he came back and now he's half man and half robot, that's why he can do all the amazing miracles and things!!" Happy Easter-tron! love from Tom-o-bot

By the way...hot cross buns are much better in NZ supermarkets than in Tesco's Beverley! Mum can you send me some over?!!

Jacko's Masterton ranch It's amazing how the people who have all the money get all the attention? I guess he's always been a bit eccentric, even when he used to live in Seatoun you hardly ever saw him. He always had the biggest houses, damn good investments when you think about it, house prices in Seatoun are ridiculous, largely thanks to the presence of Peter Jackson and the LOTR film crew being spotted at various cafe's around. Whats the name of that one in Scorching Bay? I wonder if anyone has done a study to see what Peter Jackson is worth to the NZ economy?

How expensive is petrol in NZ at the moment?! $157.7 and $162.7 - what's going on there? Start building the park and ride in Tauranga, or the light rail! Still, that's about 56p over here, and our price is about 91 and 96p (i'm assuming it's per litre rather than gallon), so almost twice as much over here! it's got nothing to do with distance then!

Oh no! i've taken to drinking whiskey's when the sun gets over the yard arm, it's all down hill from here. Whiskey in strong black coffee is fantastic and I would highly recommend it. I'm not sure whether its a sympton of being the youngest of 9, but I kind of like to have people around all thhe time. Hence why I like big flats with lots of people I think. That all leads me to conlcude I am going to try and arrange a party to bring my disparate groups of friends together! something needs to be done. Could have a early summer BBQ, crack out the sheesha after that...then life would be great.

One day i'm gonna put up a little paper about coastal management between England and good ol' NZ up here. I've been meaning to write one for the NZ Coastal society for ages now but am just too lazy. I've had it half written for a month or two (do you see a pattern emerging here? i do...). There's plenty of stuff to look at. It's funny because my one and only employee is heading off to move to NZ, he hopes Kaikoura, for the surf some time toward the end of this year. What's not funny is the current and persistent state of flux in my team at the moment and has been ever since I arrived. They always have told me that things will be getting better. It appears to be developing into one of those situations where you know you should leave but there are things that mean you can't, or wont. For instance, I have achieved almost sweet f.a up until this point, I really feel like i need to do something, and that something is the Shoreline Management Plan - possibly ...

Well it was cold and lonely...in my room tonight. Taught me self a new song yesterday, a classic Beatles track called 'You've got to hide your love away'. Pretty simple and somehow i've managed to sing along to it, which is a surprise for me, and i think it sounds ok...got my flattie singing along! That doesn't say much actually... Finally finished my book, Joseph Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness' the other day. Superbly written but kind of bored me a little. Need to watch Apocolypse Now - Redux now to finish it off. Now I can start on the other 4 or 5 books i have going: a book about the sugar trade and slavery, 44 Scotland St by alexander McCall Smith, Ann Frank's Diary by..., Memoirs of a Geisha, and some random UK coastal text book

Me and Bevin at Menit Habu in Luxor from the Egypt trip. I have my Yasser Arafat on and Bev's got his leg rolled up maori style....

Yep, at least you know where you are going and can enjoy the ride. There are no surprises, maybe the rollercoaster analogy works?

Women! just when you think you're ok, there's always something that throws you...to keep you on your toes...I definitely spend too much time thinking about shit. That's my problem. Sometimes I wish that life was easy, things not so complicated...ra, ra, ra. Whatever. I always wish that life was easy actually, 'cause i'm a lazy sod. The rollercoaster rides again. Goddam learning curve too. What i've also found is that there are certain cultural differences that can lead to a lot of confusion. Such as the politeness factor. Us kiwis are used to everyone speaking their mind, especially people you trust. So if they don't, then what do you think? What about just popping over to someones house uninvited? Nope, can't do that. The death of spontaneity (how do you spell that?). Frustrating but also damn good fun! Off to see a Beatles tribute band tonight in a place called Pocklington. sounds average. Let's see how we go. £14.50 for a ticket which is a rip of...

The hags with the bags..now there are three!! The tart with the cart...sweet molly malone The famine statue

Whilst i'm running the risk of this turning into a weather blog, damn it! it just doesn't stop snowing here now...continuously almost! We had yet another full on dusting today, people were prevented from coming into work. Meanwhile i'm stuck at home with a great little chest infection..working. It's very easy to get distracted!

Just back from a pretty cool trip to Dublin. Bit gutted I missed the second FitzGerald 40th installment in Gizzie...hope you'll all be around for mine in 14 years time and counting! Check out the link below, I am the master brewer! Damn the Guinness tastes really good over there, maybe not different, but better. They use so much water from the local river it has got to be bad, but they have a 9,000 year lease! Didn't get as much drinking done in Dublin as I had planned to, as have been suffering from some bug since our party last weekend. Average. Still...I gave it a good go! Found some really cool old Dublin pubs, the Stags Head, McDaids etc...the list goes on. Scotland were playing Ireland at the time so the atmosphere around town was electric with the anticipation of a good ol' Celtic clash, kilts and the Famous Grouse everywhere. I really wanted to go but tickets were ludicrously expensive, so maybe thought I should save it for some NZ game. Saw the giant knitting needl...

All you overseas people should do this: Census for those kiwis that found flight...OE PLUS: I've worked out my equivalent income is $76k NZD, for a job that right now is pretty easy (potential to be very hard), and I work 4 days a week! Rock on! Definitely a good move to get over here...!!

Ducks on ice! I woke up a bit hungover this morning, opened the curtains whilst still rubbing my eyes and saw ducks walking on water! So I rubbed my eyes again and realised that the canal had frozen over! It was a perfectly clear morning. This hardly ever happens! At least thats what the old codger across the canal told me as I was busy taking snaps for the family album. All things considered, I was in a pretty good mood when I got to work this morning. The sun was out, and I had tom petty's 'Wont Back Down' blaring through the iPod. Then it started snowing. Like proper snow, blizzard even - and now everything is white! The first time I've been at work with snow falling outside, and I just stared out the window all afternoon (still a little bit glazed from double Guinness lunchtime) and watched the snow fall!

Ha! I got caught by my boss with my feet up on the desk today!

Follow this link to see the rest: NYC LIVE!! Hannah and Ellie on the subway Sideways Woolworths Building View of Statue of Liberty from Battery Park. Random subway station.

Do computers have a secret chip in them that makes them stop working properly after a few months home use?! Whats up with that! Do girls as well?

Well slightly better than old york. So much to do there! I'm definitely going back, am even thinking about going in the lottery for a green card...it's free to do, so why the hell not i reckon! Have posted some more photos up on Flickr. so click on the photo link to the right and away you go. The highlights were Billy Joel live at Madison Square Gardens, the Empire State Building, the food...oh the glorious food!, the steaks, not the lite beers, the calmness about the place even compared to london (or Beverley on market day!), the hawt dawgs, MOMA (museum of modern art) and the Edward Munch exhibition, the free staten island ferry, Brooklyn and brunch and second hand shopping, plus the music...everywhere. Saw some great bands and musicians on the streets and in the subway. Fran's (Ellie's flatmate) dancing was pretty good too..surprisingly so! so check 'em out. I know i'm getting lazy!

Yep. just to prove how stupid i am, i locked myself out while Matt was in london. Good idea, had been having a pretty lazy Saturday, so decided to up and go for a run. Great. Took the wrong key. It was too small. Soooo...weighed the options up: 1. break the smallest double glazed window and hope I can squeeze through. What cost? No idea but upwards of 100 quid. 2. Use the neighbours phone and call a locksmith. I settled for option 2. The guy that came out came from Leeds (over an hour away), demanded a cup of coffee, and charged me 105 quid for about two seconds work to jemmy open one of those deadbolt locks (Yale). Meanwhile I had been waiting for about tow hours in a moderate North Sea storm running around in a tight circle to keep myself warm. Magic. Morale of the story: don't exercise. Or when you exercise, exercise both your brain and your body!

I'm leaving today...I've got to be a part of it...NEW YORK! NEW YORK! Well I hope you've all seen the big freeze happening in New york and are all sufficiently jealous of me! BIG FREEZE Makes a change from old York I suppose, or old Amsterdam. Chillin' out at an internet cafe in Hackney at the mo, waiting til around 3pm where i'll be getting my way down to Heathrow Terminal 3 for the long haul adventure. I think the flight is about 8 hours? I'm going with Ellie and her flattie Hannah, and we are meeting Ellie's other flattie Fran over there who is dancing in a a show - some sort of modern, contemporary dancing? Apparently she was in a a recent Madge video. So just got me travel insurance, in case we get stuck...or come across some anthrax. Meanwhile I had a dream that the 'Canes would have a big win this weekend against the Force so as I'm writing this i'm also on the TAB website checking out the odds. However, i'm sure it was the Sharks th...

According to English Nature..to get to the top, you need to master the art of being shallow and vague. Or fuzzy and disjointed. Or just repeat things your boss says in a slightly different way and you are there! Easy. There are sooooo many 'blaggers' around the workplace. You know - the people that can say the right thing without actually doing anything. Or the people that can avoid doing anything and still get a good rep. That's my dream...

I'm pretty much fed up with bullshit Council speak so I've decided to start a dictionary of meeting terms and acronyms, to help you all out, because that's how nice I am (please feel free to add your own): 1. '...reinvent the wheel' 2. 'episode window' (haven't heard this one myself but I have it on (somewhat) good authority. 3. '...in terms of...' 4. 'blood and fur meeting' - a no holds barred meeting where all the dirty laundry is aired (nodding dogs should not organise these meetings) 5. 'box ticking exercise' 6. 'cross-cutting' 7. 'inter-linking' and 'joined up approach' 8. 'nodding dogs' - yes men 9. FYA - for your attention 10. FYI - for your information 11. ASAP - yesterday 12. CMT - wankers who hold all the power and make everyone write reports until they are blue in the face 13. Members - exactly that. Say no more. Especially Councillor (let's call him) Willie. 14. Away day - corporate ...

Am supposed to be off to the Kaiser chiefs sometime in the next couple of months. Should be fun. Did I tell you about the mission we went through to get tickets for the Arctic Monkeys (who?)? - you know, they sing that song 'I bet you look good on the dance floor'. Well Matt and I had like two phones going each, he was on the net to get these £14 tickets for a show in...wait for it...HULL!! No luck. We got tickets for Morissey though... I HATE ENGLISH QUEUEUEUEUEUEUEUEUEUEUEUES! They're just too damn polite in this country.

Now then. I've done a bit of blogging networking and managed to find a way to put some videoas up on my blog...hopefully this works! This particular one is one of my favourites - a Danish girl who really knew how to sing, amongst sooooo many people that didn't. This was filmed in Hostal shalom in Puerto Escondido, Mexico in April 2005.

Sand tiger shark at 'The Deep' in Hull. The Church. For those of you that have been there..say no more. For the others - this place is an institution in London for antipodeans. Only open on sunday starting from 10 or 11, you queue up for hours, basically from the end of the night before, you can only buy drinks in 4's and then it is only Woodstock bourbon and lagers, they have strippers, and then all the girs all get up and dance on stage and take their clothes off, sawdust on the floor, power chunders, good time rock oldies music, and then it's on the Shepherd's Bush Walkabout by 4pm...Have been once with some of the old crew from SPC. My first experience of UV toilets in (Kingston Upon) Hull Train station! Is this a fox? The friendly Basil Brush that comes to visit Ellies flat, knowing the goodness that lies in the flat rubbish bin by the back door.

Withernsea on my coast just at the beginning of December. We went ouot for a site visit down the south end of the coast that day, maybe another hours drive from there and couldn't make it. Bring back the 4x4! There were also 6m swells that day - which is pretty big for the North Sea considering the size of the fetch. Check out this coastal erosion live website and see for yourself some of the classic situations we have to deal with. Hull Daily Mail article

Sunrise over Flemingate, Beverley. Some mornings are absolutely cracker in terms of mist, but can create pretty cool sunrises/sunsets. Nic and Fran (on the right). Fran's cool... FitzGerald's in Hackney Central. The total opposite of a classy establishment - white trash central. A random London scene. I think I was looking down toward the Strand from Fleet Street. I tried to capture the sun glinting off the building in the background. Just love he bus though. And the bastards have put the buses up to £1.50 (up 30p) and also put up the congestion charge. Explain that! Cint and Ellie in some random bar off Oxford Street last time Cint was over.