'Nothing' vs. 'nothing much'

Dear sweet, wonderful, hilarious Kiwis,

'Sweet as' things like this make me miss you heaps!



Sidenote: I drank L&P (it's like a really good ginger ale) when I got food poisoning in NZ and it was 'helpful as' while I was lying in bed for a day and a half doing......sadly, nothing.

MINE, all MINE

Indulge this Veruca Salt-esque post:
I have a New York Public Library Card (my grandma, great-aunt, great grandparents would be so proud - long story short, I am fuzzy on details but they spent time and were good friends with many people affiliated there, among them being the first US children's librarian, after whom my aunt and sister are named).

(yes that is my french manicure necessary for THE...to be unnamed.... interview. went swimmingly, thanks.)

As well as 'my' library, I have also found 'my'

-Trader Joe's.
- Starbucks.
- laundry place
- yoga studio
- sporting goods store
- shops for the essentials. Louboutin is not in the budget yet, not that I'll ever need a 5 inch lift ;)
-dermatologist (to live in NYC blemish-free is to have a relationship with prescribed benzoyl peroxide-based topicals)

but maybe most important, an authentic French Macaron place just 4 blocks from me! Good thing they're kind of expensive so I can't go everyday and/or buy 10 at a time. ;)

(grossly vainglorious but you needed evidence, right?)

Ah, I love living within a 15 block radius of everything I'd ever really need in the city-slash-in the entire world.

Except maybe a gooood waterfall.

Parakanui Falls, (Southland, Catlins National Preserve), New Zealand.

But for now concrete is just as delightful!

Utah = New Zealand? Roadtrip-tested idea.

Spent last weekend with my Olsen extended family in central Utah.
The drive down felt like New Zealand.

If you live in Utah and want an easy 3 hour roundtrip roadtrip, save yourself the 13 hour New Zealand flight, and take
the I-6 East up Spanish Fork canyon for about 20 minutes,
then Right where it says Manti & Richfield for another 30 mins or so,
Then left at the Fairview Chevron (can't miss) up the canyon for another 45 minutes-ish.

SPEC.TAC.U.LAR.

If anyone does this, please comment and attest to this grandeur.

Oh, also, bonus, I drove back the night of the 4th and saw no less than 10 fireworks shows from the I-15. I can't promise the same to anyone who tries this mini-roadtrip out, but I promise the beauty of that part of Utah far exceeds any amateur pyrotechnic show.

In case we forgot.

I remember having my friend take this on the Otago Peninsula in Dunedin. (I was sick of taking pictures haha).
Then she edited it all artistically.
I oddly ended up driving the peninsula about 3-4 times while I was there. So beautiful.


Also, Celtics 3-2... but yeah, it's going to be hard to pull it out at the Staples Center.

Remember when I lived with millions of sheep?

One time we were driving to Queenstown (what I dubbed "Park City on steroids") and 10,000 sheep were crossing the road, with sheep dogs and farmer corralling.

It was cool.

I found another of the cute little guys!

All pictures taken by people in my study abroad group!

Reinterpretation

Basically, I'm getting a kick out of seeing my past New Zealand life reinterpret itself in my present.

Exhibit A: I still like to dress up, but the thrill of scaling a wall to break into an apartment (after a friend forgets the keys inside) is currently the more exciting situational variable.



Exhibit B: I had a hankering to 'camp' despite a couch and futon offer. WEIRD, I know. I think I just wanted to sleep in the largest room, the one with the most air. Regardless... here's what 'setting up camp' entailed.

Thanks to brother for busting out a camping light when I was in brushing my teeth. A hilarious touch that I knew shouldn't go undocumented.

Woman vs. Wild

Mavora Lakes, Fiordland, Camping Trip.

"Maori Princess Treasure Hunt"- Fiordland.

Queenstown

The Remarkables

I'm putting some pics together for another blog platform, and came across the above. Just a few.

I know I wasn't changing the world birthing goats in Mongolia or anything, but New Zealand was often just as wild for me. Living in cottonless "polyprops" exploring the countryside, getting really comfortable in torrential downpours, bungy jumping, multiple day camping excursions sans bathrooms in the middle of nowhere that made regular campsites feel like 5-star resorts. Counting on ONE hand how many times I wore makeup in 3 months. 2 hour roundtrip bike rides to church every Sunday (made for some sweaty sacrament meetings).

Fleece, fleece, and more fleece.

Sheep, sheep, and more sheep. People like to say there are more sheep than NZ's human population. Try 10 TIMES more sheep than people, or so it seems.

Did I mention I had never camped before (minus a few sumptuous-by-comparison church camps when I was a youth)?

I love the lushness of Hawaii, but it feels dirtier than New Zealand. I didn't expect to miss such pure wilderness. For those of you who haven't seen me in a while, you're probably asking yourself if this is the same Al, the same aspiring urban yuppie who finds magic in concrete jungles. Yes, still me. Just I appreciate other jungles now too. Like the original type of jungle. WILDERNESS.

Peter Pan complex achieved.

Advertising WIN

This is just fantastic. Wholly agree.

Also, Air New Zealand has this new campaign promoting their new Economy Skycouch. It's called "Who Would You Spoon?"


Oh Kiwis...your humour is whimsically unbeatable.
As are your accents ;)

Hawaiians- 2, Me- 0

Item A)
First of all, I am being WORKED by the sun. Yeesh. Couldn't I have been even 1/32 Italian or something so I didn't turn into a tomato day after day, only to attain a mere semblance of a 'tan' by the END of summer? Nope, just me and my stark white Scandinavian skin trying to make it in near-equator latitudes.

Item B)
My phone got stolen out of my roommate's car today, in the parking lot of a church (the irony) overlooking Waimea Bay. At least it was a beautiful crime scene right?

(yeah, that beige-ish tower in the left third of the photo. not too shabby a place. bah.)

Maybe this is the universe's way of telling me to check myself out even more than I am.

OR

Maybe this is karma for me riding my bike around and saying to myself "Sheesh, I miss those happy-go-lucky Maori, Hawaiians are sure a grumpy bunch."
Seriously, they are Polynesia's version of hurried New Yorkers, only they still don't get anything done very fast. Just my observation.
It's okay, I might be pretty ticked too if Americans took over the beautiful islands of my grandfathers.

OR

Maybe it's just annoying...

I have a couple dates lined up.

With my favorite date, my mom.

Circa 1980, singing to Robbie Redford. Isn't she cute?

My sweet mom AND dad picked me up from LAX yesterday, and the drive back down home was really fast... while my dad wasn't counting off the minutes to the next freeway landmark seeing how fast we were making it and talking about I-405 horror stories (he's super German sometimes, even though he's not).
Oh to be back on the huge CA freeways on which you can go over 100 KPH (the New Zealand standard, about 60 MPH), wow.

I saw a billboard for Date Night. Two of my favorite comedy actors EVER. This has a lot of hype to live up to... My mom high-fived me in the backseat.

Tina Fey on Letterman. Love her.

Then, I brought up that I was excited to watch General Conference (impressive language lineup by the way, gooo Mormons).
My mom was cruising the Amtrak with little sister Kathy on the northern East Coast this past week for college visits, so she hadn't seen it either. High five again.

And when I got home, while I was giving my fam some Neverland mementos, they were pausing some Tivo'ed Project Runway. My dad, the architect, has watched it with acute concentration from Season 1. It's really darling.

Don't worry, they've saved the entire current season for me. I have sorely MISSED Tim Gunn!

Make it work ;)

Will bushwhack for treasure

Ahh I've missed this (interesting choice of music). Although I won't ever work in fashion, I got on Google Reader today for the first time in many many weeks and it's good to know that the 1st world carries on in style...

Tomorrow, I'm off with some of my hooligan friends in search of a secret Maori Princess burial site... on an island...in the middle of a lake. I wasn't going to go at first because of all the sandflies in that region and not to mention bushwhacking through the forest, but HOW OFTEN does one get to go on a sort of treasure hunt in a foreign country? That's what I thought.

Apparently we are trash bagging our clothes and swimming across to the island.


This is so much cooler than Legends of the Hidden Temple circa 1997.


It's going to be epic, even if it's an epic fail. I'm stoked.


Oh and just for giggles, today I took a couple hour bike ride because I was bored, had the iPod going with some rap and r&b, the rain was lightly sprinkling, the sheep were grazing. The usual.

And at one point when I thought no one was around I started singing "Bad Romance" a la Miranda Sings. And then out of nowhere an older lady passed me. Uhh?

And that song is not even one that sounds cool when you try to sing it normally, so it was just a big FAIL!

And the cool factor ante is upped again

The funniest town name exists in Neverland.


Nightcaps, New Zealand.

Nightcaps.

Isn't that hilarious?


There is also Athol... and Alexandra (aww).

I can't stop grinning.

Ah! I want to tell the world about yesterday, last night, and today, but it's just too good for a blog.

This is how I feel right now.

Life is sooo good when it's good.

Make it a good day today (what is most likely my awesome yesterday)!

Oh and PS: I'm going blonde this summer as there is even more sun in sight (Hello Hawaii) and I have ambidextrous hair that goes well blonde or brown (or currently, auburn). Might as well commit.
Going along with the childhood theme of being out here in the Pacific for what seems like an indefinite amount of time, as I was blonde as a child.

Love my Ambi-Hair.

That is all.

The Kiwi rub-off and some cliche epiphanies

New Zealand is a really good place to let go ... let go of anger, bitterness, regret, vengeance, and the like... tolerance is our only hope in this world. love our only vehicle.

I am filled with so much love for everyone and to anyone I may have wronged in the slightest, I am sorry.

So much indescribable clarity... (Yes, I'm just shirking the opportunity to explain, but really, the attempt would be unfair).

I wish I could sum all this up...blogging used to be a place for me to outlet some intense boredom, but now that I am just encircled with fun and nonsense, it seems to be an after thought.

In short, I'm so grateful for New Zealand for nursing me back to happiness. And I feel privileged that you would take time to read these thoughts of mine, to stick with me through good and bad times.

Nonsense between and after our movie double feature. nonsense, I tell you. nonsense.

I wouldn't have Neverland any other way!

I am grateful for you.

I know I'm homesick when...

I have the burning desire to cut my hair Peter Pan short.


No pun intended, actually (and you all know how I love intending puns!).

I remember wanting to do this around this time two years ago in Spain.

Que extrano!!!

6 impossible thoughts before breakfast

Nothing about today was bad.

1) Woke up, finished The Cove on my laptop while I ate some Scroggin bar for breakfast. Yup. Don't worry, I pounded all 200 grams within 12 hours...



2) Rode our bikes to the beach.

3) Listened to music on the way and at the beach (Tell Me Baby and Say Hey I Love You were multiple repeaters)

4) Starbucks. The southernmost Starbucks in the world, my little haven.

5) Seeing Alice in Wonderland (LOVE) and Valentine's Day (my first movie hop, I felt like a rebellious 15 year old mall rat)

6) Hilarious photo session in the movie theater bathroom as we waited between movies. Oh wow.


Such a happy little corner of the world.

Want to see pictures of me acting like I'm 12 in New Zealand?

A series of photos and stories regarding my camping are UP!

Go here.

It's been so wonderful so far.

The other day when I video chatted my mom she said that I look about 8 years old, so relaxed, so happy...

It truly is like childhood...like Neverland.

Cheers!

I camp. I'm a camper.

Just consider me Bob Wiley, camping-style.

Remember how I'm in Neverland? Kia Ora.

How are you guys?

Cheers!

Hello from down under

Kia Ora, friends!

I realize I dropped off the face of the planet the last few weeks blogging wise, but I was too busy having fun to do much of anything else!

After I finished my finals, I snowboarded in Park City for a couple days, went to Paris*, then Kauai with my family and cousins, and now...I'm in New Zealand!

It's so beautiful- I literally started chuckling as I walked out of the airport because it looks and feels like the English countryside mixed with Hawaii.

Today we did THIS.

And tonight we're doing THIS, which I'm assuming is like a Hawaiian luau, but Maori.

The people are awesome.

The accent is awesome- we imitate is as much as we can, when locals are not around haha.

Lots of people don't wear shoes- awesome. I made a joke in my currently-rubbish-status NZ accent about how stores should put up signs that say "No Shirt, No Shoes- Preferred."

I saw a sweet tree house today, awesome.

I'm totally out of my element in this Chaco-and-fleece world I've immersed myself in, but I'm growing partial to being granola!

Thank you for all your emails and notes, I love you all and only wish you were all here with me!

Cheers!

("Cheeahs" in a Kiwi accent ;) )

Pixie Dust Personified

So remember how I've been calling New Zealand 'Neverland' since April?

Oh yeah, no big deal,

but I found out my NZ roommate was PETER PAN for Halloween.


If this is not the pixie dust on top of this holiday in the sun (and rain, apparently), then I don't know what is!