Blogging on the lunch break

Hi everyone,

Just thought I would say a quick hello. I have exactly seven minutes left of my lunch break ...

My parents arrive in four days! I have so many things to do before they get here, but I'll get through them. Work is extra busy because I'm taking all of next week off. It'll feel like a real vacation!

I bought a new patio table (for 15 dollars, including delivery, from Salvation Army). It'll be great to sit on the deck now that the weather is better. There has been so much sunshine, and it is light between 5.30am and 9pm! Makes me a happy camper.

Tomorrow night we are taking a Greek salad picnic up to the Oku Reserve. Thursday we are helping Nik box up his games. Friday we are having a farewell gelato with Susan. Saturday morning (at 8am!) my parents arrive.

It'll be a busy time, but I'll try my hardest to blog!

Love,
Amy

Week of 10-14 November

Hi all,

I haven't been very good at updating this again, and my reason is that I've been very busy at work. In fact, in the last two weeks, I've worked an extra 30 hours! It has been a bit stressful, but the extra money will come in handy for my parents' visit and for our Christmas trip.

Some examples of the work craziness: Monday morning I ended up playing caterer for a Mexican party (for three hours). Tuesday I spent over six hours attending a marketing seminar (not my field, and I've only been with the company for a few months). Wednesday was my Advanced reading course followed by three hours of last minute PPT work for the CEO. Friday was spent mostly in meetings.

My parents arrive in just six days...I'm so excited! The weather is getting very nice, and the temperatures are just about right for a pair of Northwesterners. There has been plenty of sunshine, but also a soft breeze coming off of the sea. It is getting to the point that we leave the window open at night.

Wednesday night we met Susan for a night in Newtown. Her time in NZ is almost over, so we're trying to check the last boxes before she flies back to Canada. I took her op-shopping, and then we met Rory for dinner at Amigos (the Chilean place). The food is so nice, but also very rich...but that didn't stop us from finishing off the evening with chocolate gelato from the Mediterranean Food Warehouse. Then Rory and I walked from to Island Bay (it took about 45 minutes, but we needed it after all of that food!).

Friday night I met Rory for dinner in Newtown again (it is my favorite place to go for a meal). We tried Beijing, and the Chinese food was delicious. We had dumplings, fish rolls, and Beijing style pork. The pork came with little pancakes that resembles tortillas, and you rolled it up with lettuce, sauce, and little crunchy potatoes. Yum! Then, once again, we walked home.

Yesterday we spent the whole day looking for deals for Christmas break. Rory and I both get two weeks off, and they mostly overlap. Right now we are looking at either going to the Bay of Islands in Northland or to the bottom of the South Island, Fjordland. It is just a matter of whether we want beaches or mountains, I guess.

I'll try to be better at blogging this week. And then mom and dad will be here! Hooray!

Love, Amy

The weekend so far

Hi,

My description of these pics is a week late now, so I'll just briefly catch you up.

On Friday night I attended a leaving do for one of the managers at Write, Bettylyn. I took some pictures around my building while I was waiting for my ride to arrive. The party was very nice...there was lovely food, friendly people, and a few tears. But don't feel too bad for Bettylyn...her husband is a NZ diplomat, and there are moving to Paris for three years!

Saturday night Rory and I went to Seoul House for Korean food. We opted for the BBQ, not knowing that they would literally bring a BBQ to your table and dump a load of stuff onto it. And then they walked away, without telling us it was our job to cook everything. You can tell from the 'after' photo that Rory and I waited a bit too long for clarification.

Sunday was a quiet day. We took a short walk around Island Bay and Owhiro Bay, but otherwise stayed around the house.

Love, Amy

Pictures by Duncan Sarkies

Hi friends and family,

My coworker (and novelist and writer for Flight of the Conchords) was kind enough to let me use his pictures on my blog. He snapped a whole series of people watching the election results. My favorite is the one of Nik, Sara, Rory, and me...the first good picture we have of the four flatmates.

Thanks again, Duncan!

Hugs,

Amy

What a day!

Hello everyone,

I had an incredible day yesterday. OBAMA WON! I think I will always remember the moment that they called the election...but I'm getting ahead of myself.

I got off of work at 1.20pm, and was in the pub by 1.30pm. I was feeling a bit apprehensive because everyone else wouldn't be off work until 5 and 6, but I grabbed a stool and tried not to worry about it. Luckily, I ended up meeting a friendly Canadian girl called Susan (in the green shirt above). For the next five hours we discussed the results, talked about our travels, and all sorts of other things (hey, we had the time).

At about 4 we got kicked out of the upstairs since the place was over capacity, so we headed downstairs. We found a booth with a TV facing it, and we were set for the big event. About an hour later, just as polls closed in the West, CNN declared Obama the winner. I couldn't believe it, and I still quite can't. It is just so fantastic. The pub went nuts, and there was cheering and hugs and tears...a wonderful moment.

My boss Michelle arrived just as Obama was giving his speech. Then Rory showed up, and then Nik and Sara, and then a few other coworkers...I felt so lucky to be sharing the experience with people from all over the world.

Fittingly, it was also Guy Fawkes night, so there was a huge fireworks display about 9pm. Rory and I had some lovely Italian food and then grabbed a spot near Oriental Bay. It was so beautiful reflecting off of the Harbour.

So all in all, I had a truly great day. There will be more pictures coming tomorrow, as one of my friends took some photos, too.

Love you all!
Amy

Sunday BBQ and Botanical Gardens

Hi everybody,

Spring is here! It is finally time for barbecues, flowers, and sunshine.

Rory and I attended our very first Kiwi barbecue with our flatmates and friends. I made an American-style potato salad to contribute...it took time to find the ingredients, but it was worth it! We had pavlova, sausages, grilled eggplant and zucchini, baked wedges and guacamole, salads, and beer.

It was held at Nik and Jakob's (the twins') family home next to the Botanical Gardens, and it was so lush and green. After we ate and tidied up, we headed for the gardens for some tea and a walk around the roses and herb gardens.

We've met such nice people here in NZ, and I'm grateful for their kindness!

Love, Amy