back in auckland (reflection)

So now Im back in this shitty old boring place called Auckland, haha no ok im just joking. Though I use to sorta feel this way when all you can do here is study (try to..), eat, laze in the sun and have senseless long afternoon naps. Before taking off to the states I was telling fellow travel buddy jeremy how ridiculous it was that kiwis would go on these big overseas experiences (OEs) just to appreciate what we have in New Zealand...i mean don't u go on OEs to experience what other countries have that we don't!?

So...uhum.....yea....during this whole trip, I actually have gained an unexpected appreciation for little NZ. As I have said previously, so many things we take for granted back here..clean air, beautiful scenery, good sport facilities (like full size swimming pools!), not having to commute an hour cause rent in manhattan is way to expensive...having time to breathe.......and so on...

OK besides that, NYC... was freakin awsome! Probably the best experience i've had in my life, and even if we had to go through all that "im too poor to eat anything over $5" or all that stress trying to find a suitable apartment or all that "can i borrow money/you owe me pay up" situations, i absolutely have no regrets. What we little five kiwis took back home was a life learning experience and a whole lotta attitude...lol. Yea im proud of us all.

Theres still many photos/places/experiences i'd like to put up on this blog, so i'd probably keep doing that whenever i feel like it, otherwise Im still thinking weather I should just keep blogging here or should I move back to my xanga (not too keen..), who knows....

san francisco

I feel sorta torn, first there was New York city...but now I feel like im cheating on it cause im starting to fall in love with San Francisco...haha. Whats not to love about this city!? Everywhere i go or any place that I eat at I just want to come back again and again. Biking throughout the city and especially through the Golden Gate bridge was such a once of a life time experience....I must buy a bike when i come back to NZ. Oh and did i mention the food? huge burritos, fishermans wharf, eat your heart out dim sum....a foodies heaven. I must come back here someday......someday..

In about ten hours I'd be heading back to New Zealand...im really excited. Can't wait to see ya'll in Auckland, where the sky is bluer and green is greener haha...being away from there for so long has made me appreciate what we take for granted back home. At the same time, these two great american cities have left such a great impression on me....i'll be back someday.

seattle-vancouver (pics)

seattle

something kiwi ^_^


pike place market

space needle

vancouver

chinatown



international buddhist temple


aberdeen mall (giordano!!)

Stanley park

seattle-vancouver

Besides from missing all the happenings in nyc, me and jlo have been spending our last few days in seattle and vancouver. Both are nice, comparable yet distinct cities. Maybe its because i've arrived here just after being in nyc.....that i felt these cities are slow paced and sorta boring ...heh. I do like the weather tho...in seattle...not vancouver!

Seattle's streets were freakishly clean n pretty (coming from ny) and the people were suprisingly friendly. The pike place market is a must for anyone visiting. Also space needle and Uwajimaya, huge asianmart was also pretty cool. Oh and to top the day off... i had the best two hour coffee/bookstore reading session in my life!

Vancouver...just rained n rained........city is full of residential high rises which makes the cityscape look glassy sorta cool. Didn't really have an itenery until our third day (the rain sorta mellowed us)...which that day we headed out to richmond which is the unoffical "chinatown", half the population is asian.

Saw a buddhist temple there. To see an authentic, traditional chinese architecture in a western country was truly a gem.. a "point of pride" for chinese. And a bizzare experience was seeing the HK style malls......this particular one called aberdeen mall had a musical fountain smacked inside it....instantly reminding me of the one i'd use to go to in Sha tin Hong Kong as a child. Sorta relived my childhood life a little bit...heh...yea i miss HK....

Stanely Park would be a highlight if anyone would come to visit and also lynn canyon suspension bridge and granville island was quite nice (even in the rain heh). San Francisco tomorrow....wonder what will that city bring...

PS. photos later.

no regrets but.......

i kinda miss new york.....
i don't know.....

ok i really do! damn...its too the point where rather do nuthing but sleep till 2pm cause its so damn freezing outside and wake up and not do anything till like 5pm cause its still so damn freezing outside (like i did the last few days there) but u can still shop till 9pm in SoHo and still still have dinner with friends after.....

.....then being in this nice warmer weather, with beautiful mountain and ocean scenery and and having this relax vibe all around you...and the people are so damn friendly...and the cities aint to shabby either....and the food is so damn cheap!

yea...hm...

AC/last days

Gosh...can't believe its been over two months here in nyc...and in another five days...I'd be leaving here....its mixed feelings......
but its still 5 more days...so i guess theres no time to think about it...and really just get the most out these last five days!

On another note! I got to go on a road trip today with my buddy Jeff to Atlantic City, NJ. "AC" as known by locals is a mini version of Las Vagas. While not as expansive as LV, it still got some really fancy casinos like trump, taj mahal, cesears...etc. So yea...our day was very simple, got there.....gambled, ate, gambled...then went home. I think in total i spent about 4 hours on the roulette and two hours eating....was fun. Earned some cash...not much....but happy. But yea...its a story i would have to tell you in person.....and i'd probably never gamble again.

Verrazano bridge from brooklyn to staten island

road trip......car sick...


outside resorts casino...don't go there.


inside taj mahal casino, go there.


wasn't suppose to take pictures..oh well


me and jeff