I remember this bridge, in Raglan. I remember all the people that jumped off of it. It did look like they were having an incredible amount of fun. I don't even know how deep those waters were. Either way, today's tragic event demonstrates that there is danger in this activity.
Today a 16 year old young man, died as his friend landed on top of him. His friends searched for him, and found him 10 - 15 minutes later. He could not be revived. Full story in The New Zealand Herald.
There is a video embedded in the article which shows the bridge, and people jumping off the bridge.
Monday, 8 February 2016
Thursday, 14 January 2016
Fire at Domaine Restaurant
The first thing I thought of was that "I've eaten there before!" I can't believe there was a huge fire there.
As written in the New Zealand Herald, there was a huge blaze at The Domaine restaurant in Hamilton. It looks pretty bad from the pictures. Reading these articles brings back memories of living there. When I read that fire fighters came in from Cambridge and Ngaruawahia, I immediately try to recall where those places were and if we went there. We definitely went to Cambridge a few times. We even went to the museum there.
I'll see if I can find pictures of the food we had at The Domaine. If you know me, you'd know that I love to take pictures of my food. I recall that the food was okay. The service was good though. I hope that the owners can recover from this unfortunate incident quickly.
As written in the New Zealand Herald, there was a huge blaze at The Domaine restaurant in Hamilton. It looks pretty bad from the pictures. Reading these articles brings back memories of living there. When I read that fire fighters came in from Cambridge and Ngaruawahia, I immediately try to recall where those places were and if we went there. We definitely went to Cambridge a few times. We even went to the museum there.
I'll see if I can find pictures of the food we had at The Domaine. If you know me, you'd know that I love to take pictures of my food. I recall that the food was okay. The service was good though. I hope that the owners can recover from this unfortunate incident quickly.
Friday, 2 October 2015
Toronto vs. New Zealand: Through the eyes of one kiwi reporter
This article is from the Toronto Star.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/09/24/how-toronto-compares-to-new-zealand-from-pests-to-junk-food.html
It is written by Olivia Carville, a New Zealander who has been living in Toronto for a year now.
As a Canadian who lived in New Zealand for a little while, I can TOTALLY relate but from the flip side.
1. Tipping: Yup, we do it in Canada and the States. It is definitely nice not to have to think about tipping. You would think the service would be abysmal, but it isn't! The kiwis are still nice to you. Now, maybe they aren't asking you about your drinks or your food immediately...so it's not quite the same...but it's not bad.
2. Driving on the other side of the road: Yup, definitely an adventure. And even when you return to Canada after driving kiwi style for a while it's still an adventure. It's especially funny when you want to signal and the wipers go off...even funnier when it's a sunny day with no rain in sight.
3. Caesar: Hey, I learned something new! I didn't know that this drink was primarily consumed in Canada. Although I've had them, they are not my drink of choice. They don't make me cringe though!
4. Moving at -25C: Ha! Yes, it does get quite cold in Canada. But you know what...at least we are warm inside our houses! The number of poorly insulated homes in New Zealand is astounding. Even more surprising is how modern these homes looked. I missed insulated housing and HVAC systems dearly while living in NZ.
5. The accent: This New Zealander gets her accent mistaken for Aussie, and often has to spell out her last name (not a difficult, or uncommon one). I got asked if I was American a lot. People could not understand me when I said "desk." I feel her pain.
6. Toronto city life: Cold. Impersonal. Dressed-up dogs. Netflix. vs. Jandals to work. Jandals - you might be wondering what these are. In Canada, they are known as flip flops. Someone once told me that it stood for Jesus sandals. Anyways, these are all descriptions of the writer's Toronto life. In contrast to Toronto life, New Zealand life is more about lifestyle and less about the rat race she is talking about. Definitely different.
And now we move on to her real list of differences! :
7. Pests: Possums vs. Raccoons - I've seen many raccoons in Canada, but I did not see that many possums. I also lived in Canada for a lot longer, so that might have something to do with it.
8. Chips and Sauce: Fish and Chips vs. Poutine - I personally love both. LOVE!
9. Living: Flats vs. Apartments - no experience with this one.
10. Water: Pacific Ocean vs. Lake Ontario - I think I like the ocean more since it's more exotic for me. But I think it's awesome that Lake Ontario is an awesome source of fresh water.
11. Pie: Mince pie vs. apple pie - I tried a few meat pies in New Zealand, but maybe I didn't try enough of them because I never got hooked on them. But apple pies...yummm
12. Sports: Rugby vs. Hockey - It's true that there are a lot of die-hard Leafs fans around, but I feel like the kiwis have us beat in terms of enthusiasm for their national sport.
13. Sweets: Lollies, Goody Goody Gum Drops, and Pineapple Lumps vs. Pudding, candy and doughnuts - I have only tried the pineapple lumps she mentioned. I was not a fan. Doughnuts are soooo expensive in New Zealand. It's nice to come back to Canada and be able to have one of the many different flavours of donuts around...for $0.90 vs $2.50
14. Travel: Farm bikes and cars vs. subways and streetcars - She mentioned gumboots! Gumboots are basically those knee-high rubber boots. They are worn on farms, and other messy environs. Anyways, the main mode of transport is/are farm bikes/cars. In downtown Toronto you have your subways and streetcars. If she ventures out of the downtown core during rush hour she might notice tonnes of cars, especially on the highway.
15. Christmas: Beaches and BBQs vs. Snowflakes and mulled wine - It is a huge difference. Celebrating Christmas in the middle of summer felt quite odd. One other thing to note is the amount of commercialism associated with Christmas in North America. There are Christmas items out for sale in late September! Decorations are out usually just after Hallowe'en (she doesn't mention Hallowe'en, but this is also a major difference in the two countries. It is a big party in the T-dot...not so much in NZ).
There are so many other little differences to note, but this article was a good throw back to living in New Zealand.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/09/24/how-toronto-compares-to-new-zealand-from-pests-to-junk-food.html
It is written by Olivia Carville, a New Zealander who has been living in Toronto for a year now.
As a Canadian who lived in New Zealand for a little while, I can TOTALLY relate but from the flip side.
1. Tipping: Yup, we do it in Canada and the States. It is definitely nice not to have to think about tipping. You would think the service would be abysmal, but it isn't! The kiwis are still nice to you. Now, maybe they aren't asking you about your drinks or your food immediately...so it's not quite the same...but it's not bad.
2. Driving on the other side of the road: Yup, definitely an adventure. And even when you return to Canada after driving kiwi style for a while it's still an adventure. It's especially funny when you want to signal and the wipers go off...even funnier when it's a sunny day with no rain in sight.
3. Caesar: Hey, I learned something new! I didn't know that this drink was primarily consumed in Canada. Although I've had them, they are not my drink of choice. They don't make me cringe though!
4. Moving at -25C: Ha! Yes, it does get quite cold in Canada. But you know what...at least we are warm inside our houses! The number of poorly insulated homes in New Zealand is astounding. Even more surprising is how modern these homes looked. I missed insulated housing and HVAC systems dearly while living in NZ.
5. The accent: This New Zealander gets her accent mistaken for Aussie, and often has to spell out her last name (not a difficult, or uncommon one). I got asked if I was American a lot. People could not understand me when I said "desk." I feel her pain.
6. Toronto city life: Cold. Impersonal. Dressed-up dogs. Netflix. vs. Jandals to work. Jandals - you might be wondering what these are. In Canada, they are known as flip flops. Someone once told me that it stood for Jesus sandals. Anyways, these are all descriptions of the writer's Toronto life. In contrast to Toronto life, New Zealand life is more about lifestyle and less about the rat race she is talking about. Definitely different.
And now we move on to her real list of differences! :
7. Pests: Possums vs. Raccoons - I've seen many raccoons in Canada, but I did not see that many possums. I also lived in Canada for a lot longer, so that might have something to do with it.
8. Chips and Sauce: Fish and Chips vs. Poutine - I personally love both. LOVE!
9. Living: Flats vs. Apartments - no experience with this one.
10. Water: Pacific Ocean vs. Lake Ontario - I think I like the ocean more since it's more exotic for me. But I think it's awesome that Lake Ontario is an awesome source of fresh water.
11. Pie: Mince pie vs. apple pie - I tried a few meat pies in New Zealand, but maybe I didn't try enough of them because I never got hooked on them. But apple pies...yummm
12. Sports: Rugby vs. Hockey - It's true that there are a lot of die-hard Leafs fans around, but I feel like the kiwis have us beat in terms of enthusiasm for their national sport.
13. Sweets: Lollies, Goody Goody Gum Drops, and Pineapple Lumps vs. Pudding, candy and doughnuts - I have only tried the pineapple lumps she mentioned. I was not a fan. Doughnuts are soooo expensive in New Zealand. It's nice to come back to Canada and be able to have one of the many different flavours of donuts around...for $0.90 vs $2.50
14. Travel: Farm bikes and cars vs. subways and streetcars - She mentioned gumboots! Gumboots are basically those knee-high rubber boots. They are worn on farms, and other messy environs. Anyways, the main mode of transport is/are farm bikes/cars. In downtown Toronto you have your subways and streetcars. If she ventures out of the downtown core during rush hour she might notice tonnes of cars, especially on the highway.
15. Christmas: Beaches and BBQs vs. Snowflakes and mulled wine - It is a huge difference. Celebrating Christmas in the middle of summer felt quite odd. One other thing to note is the amount of commercialism associated with Christmas in North America. There are Christmas items out for sale in late September! Decorations are out usually just after Hallowe'en (she doesn't mention Hallowe'en, but this is also a major difference in the two countries. It is a big party in the T-dot...not so much in NZ).
There are so many other little differences to note, but this article was a good throw back to living in New Zealand.
Thursday, 12 June 2014
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in Te Reo Maori
While we were in New Zealand, I joined the SPACE programme (an awesome program for parents and babies). There we sang songs, played with our babies, talked about baby things... One thing I learned (kinda) was Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in Maori. Upon coming back to Canada, I really only remembered the first two lines. Now and then I would sing them to my little one. Turns out, she was listening. To my surprise she sang back to me those first two lines! So now I was curious as to how to sing the rest of it.
Here are the lyrics courtesy of Kreative Kidz
Here are the lyrics courtesy of Kreative Kidz
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Tirama, tirama nga whetu
Kei te pehea ra koutou
Kii runga ake ra
He taimana to rite
Tirama, tirama nga whetu
Kei te pehea ra koutou
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are.
And here is a video of some kids singing it!
Saturday, 11 January 2014
NZ Transport Ad Commercial
New Zealand had quite a few good memorable commercials. I plan to list more of them as they come to my mind, and if I can find them on YouTube.
Here is a very powerful one. WARNING, this commercial is not for the faint of heart.
My friends, if you visit New Zealand, remember to drive carefully. Most of the roads are two lane highways. Much of it is not straight. Most of you will be driving on 'the other side' of the road. Stay safe!
Here is a very powerful one. WARNING, this commercial is not for the faint of heart.
My friends, if you visit New Zealand, remember to drive carefully. Most of the roads are two lane highways. Much of it is not straight. Most of you will be driving on 'the other side' of the road. Stay safe!
Saturday, 21 December 2013
Who dies on Shortland Street
Even though we can't watch Shortland Street anymore since we're not in the country...we can still read the recaps!
So, it turns out someone dies on Shortland Street! The Facebook fan page, and website give all these clues as to whom it may or may not be.
Let's try to debunk them...
http://shortlandstreetclues.tvnz.co.nz/
Each day until Shortland Street returns on January 13th 2014 we will release a clue for you to piece together the secrets that no one else knows. Follow the clues and you and a friend could win a morning tea with Shortland Street stars and a chance to be walk-on extras in one of the 2014 episodes of Shortland Street. Enter the competition here.
Oh man...morning tea and being an extra...
CLUE #1
It sounds like Bella making the 111 Emergency call
CLUE #2
Sarah tries to text message TK but gets no response. Does this imply that TK is the one who dies?
CLUE #3
This is a trailer video clip that shows a hearse 1) Rachel, who looks to be sitting in the back of a car or hearse, 2) Roimata standing in a cemetary 3) Chris 4) TK 5) Emma 6) Josh. The it says "for one of them, this is the end" So a couple of theories here: it is one of the people in the clip (perhaps one of them is in ghost form); it is no one shown, since they must all be alive if they are shown.
CLUE #4
They even drafted up a fake article about the explosion!
The key points in the article are the witness account saying
- I don't know what happened - but I think the deck went down
- they saw four to five body bags being wheeled away from the scene.
...does this mean that all the people from CLUE #3 die?
CLUE #5
A fake FB page, with pictures from the Warner Bach Explosion. Not having seen the actual episodes, I would not know what the characters were wearing before the explosion. You see a pink jandal, a blue jandal, and two articles of clothing or accessories, a shattered photo of the Warner family.
Some of the comments are hilarious, like RIP towel.
CLUE #6
It's a police report listing items of clothing as evidence. Reading the comments below the clue, it looks like the majority of the clothing belongs to the people in the clue 3 video.
CLUE #7
This looks to be clue 3 all over again, but there is a 7a AND 7b version with the text "Can you notice anything different? " Do you see anything?
CLUE #8
A ripped up police report about Josh. He committed an offence on Nov 5.
CLUE #9
An encrypted audio recording which sounds like Josh.
CLUE #10
It's an internal police call. One of the commenters does a superb job cleaning up the audio so you can tell what the other side of the conversation is. The gist of it, is that evidence has leaked to the media. It surrounds some documents the police are focusing on. The media will not know the list of victim(s) until all the families are notified. So...does one person die? or more than one?
CLUE #11
The clue highlights some words "EVIL KEY VIRUS". If you unscramble the words, you get "Kylie survives."
CLUE #12
A diagram showing the layout of the bach, where everyone was during the explosion, and the blast radius. The closest to the blast were Roimata, Harry, and Chris.
So, it turns out someone dies on Shortland Street! The Facebook fan page, and website give all these clues as to whom it may or may not be.
Let's try to debunk them...
http://shortlandstreetclues.tvnz.co.nz/
Each day until Shortland Street returns on January 13th 2014 we will release a clue for you to piece together the secrets that no one else knows. Follow the clues and you and a friend could win a morning tea with Shortland Street stars and a chance to be walk-on extras in one of the 2014 episodes of Shortland Street. Enter the competition here.
Oh man...morning tea and being an extra...
CLUE #1
It sounds like Bella making the 111 Emergency call
CLUE #2
Sarah tries to text message TK but gets no response. Does this imply that TK is the one who dies?
CLUE #3
This is a trailer video clip that shows a hearse 1) Rachel, who looks to be sitting in the back of a car or hearse, 2) Roimata standing in a cemetary 3) Chris 4) TK 5) Emma 6) Josh. The it says "for one of them, this is the end" So a couple of theories here: it is one of the people in the clip (perhaps one of them is in ghost form); it is no one shown, since they must all be alive if they are shown.
CLUE #4
They even drafted up a fake article about the explosion!
- I don't know what happened - but I think the deck went down
- they saw four to five body bags being wheeled away from the scene.
...does this mean that all the people from CLUE #3 die?
CLUE #5
A fake FB page, with pictures from the Warner Bach Explosion. Not having seen the actual episodes, I would not know what the characters were wearing before the explosion. You see a pink jandal, a blue jandal, and two articles of clothing or accessories, a shattered photo of the Warner family.
Some of the comments are hilarious, like RIP towel.
CLUE #6
It's a police report listing items of clothing as evidence. Reading the comments below the clue, it looks like the majority of the clothing belongs to the people in the clue 3 video.
CLUE #7
This looks to be clue 3 all over again, but there is a 7a AND 7b version with the text "Can you notice anything different? " Do you see anything?
CLUE #8
A ripped up police report about Josh. He committed an offence on Nov 5.
CLUE #9
An encrypted audio recording which sounds like Josh.
CLUE #10
It's an internal police call. One of the commenters does a superb job cleaning up the audio so you can tell what the other side of the conversation is. The gist of it, is that evidence has leaked to the media. It surrounds some documents the police are focusing on. The media will not know the list of victim(s) until all the families are notified. So...does one person die? or more than one?
CLUE #11
The clue highlights some words "EVIL KEY VIRUS". If you unscramble the words, you get "Kylie survives."
CLUE #12
A diagram showing the layout of the bach, where everyone was during the explosion, and the blast radius. The closest to the blast were Roimata, Harry, and Chris.
Leeeegend!
There are some things that are really memorable about our time in New Zealand. The following commercial is one of them.
It is an anti-drunk driving commercial. If you travel to New Zealand, you will also see signs along the road warning against drunk driving.
Some notable things about the commerical
1) the accents
2) bro
3) ghost chips
4) puzzle time
5) internalizing a complex situation in my head (heeed)
This commercial is soooo New Zealand...
It is an anti-drunk driving commercial. If you travel to New Zealand, you will also see signs along the road warning against drunk driving.
Some notable things about the commerical
1) the accents
2) bro
3) ghost chips
4) puzzle time
5) internalizing a complex situation in my head (heeed)
This commercial is soooo New Zealand...
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