Well, its all happening... leaving on a jet plane on Sunday. More on this later in the news hour...
Since my last proper entry in http://www.whatisthomatrix.blogspot.com/ I have been sorting things out, waiting for my passport and UK visa to come back, and in between that, finishing off putting pictures up on my parent's company's website.
The weekend following my last entry, my mate Ron & I went down to Lake Waikaremoana. It looks like a very beautiful place, albeit it takes a long time to get there, despite only being 120kms from Rotorua. Unfortunately we got there late, and then the next day the weather was a bit bad, and I was feeling a bit sick.
After catching up with some friends in Rotorua on the way back, I went home, slept until midnight, and then experienced the reprecussions of feeling sick (I won't go into further detail).
Anyhow carried on as per usual for the rest of the week, then went to Papamoa on Friday with Mum & Dad. Managed to catch up with several friends while there, so that was nice. On the Sunday we went to Whangamata and caught up with some friends as well, and my cousins at Bowentown on the way back.
Now my first diss for this blog goes out to the "Stock Exchange" bar in the main street of Mt Maunganui - I went in there one night, it was virtually empty, and I asked for a glass of water, which I was refused because I wasn't going to be buying anything. Thats not the point, water is free, giving me a glass of it isn't going to cost anybody anything, by not giving me one, costs them a potential customer and bad PR. Its also not good host responsibility, because I might have needed that to sober up (I don't drink and drive, but Im just making the point)
I headed back to Hamilton on the Tuesday to sort things out. My visa finally came on Wednesday - literally 20 working days - like they said it would, although I had hoped for it earlier, 20 working days is a long time when you have weekends and statutory holidays thrown in the mix.
Anyway, discovered they had dated my entry into the UK as being the 12th of February, not the 1st as planned, so I had a mini stress, but decided that the hidden blessing was I could muck around in the USA for 11 days, so its all good.
So today, I sorted some more things out, including paying for my ticket. To balance out my diss, I will send out a big ups to Morwenna Williams and the crew at Calder & Lawson House of Travel, as I have been happy with my dealings with them, they have parking, they are cheap, and proactive and helpful in regard to booking my flight, and they had a useful seminar in November on travel to Europe.
Anyway, the plan now - get some foreign exchange, have a birthday dinner for my Nana at the Rangariri pub, and hop on the plane. When I get to the USA, hop off, stay 2 nights in the YHA in Santa Monica, by then I should be relatively un-jetlagged, and then Im thinking of cruising around California - San Diego, San Francisco, and also trying to pop into Mexico (Tijuana) and Las Vegas, Nevada while Im at it. May as well try and tick off the West Coast of the USA if I can.
So anyway, I apologise if you don't hear from me for a little while, it will only be because I will be too busy having fun, and seeing the world, rather than wasting it on the net. But I will try to update this ASAP in order to retain the memories.
PS the title is a take-off of "The Real OC" (the real Orange County, California, a reality TV show, comparing real life in the OC to that on the show "The OC". For you non-Kiwis, an OE is "Overseas Experience" ie time aboard.)
Since my last proper entry in http://www.whatisthomatrix.blogspot.com/ I have been sorting things out, waiting for my passport and UK visa to come back, and in between that, finishing off putting pictures up on my parent's company's website.
The weekend following my last entry, my mate Ron & I went down to Lake Waikaremoana. It looks like a very beautiful place, albeit it takes a long time to get there, despite only being 120kms from Rotorua. Unfortunately we got there late, and then the next day the weather was a bit bad, and I was feeling a bit sick.
After catching up with some friends in Rotorua on the way back, I went home, slept until midnight, and then experienced the reprecussions of feeling sick (I won't go into further detail).
Anyhow carried on as per usual for the rest of the week, then went to Papamoa on Friday with Mum & Dad. Managed to catch up with several friends while there, so that was nice. On the Sunday we went to Whangamata and caught up with some friends as well, and my cousins at Bowentown on the way back.
Now my first diss for this blog goes out to the "Stock Exchange" bar in the main street of Mt Maunganui - I went in there one night, it was virtually empty, and I asked for a glass of water, which I was refused because I wasn't going to be buying anything. Thats not the point, water is free, giving me a glass of it isn't going to cost anybody anything, by not giving me one, costs them a potential customer and bad PR. Its also not good host responsibility, because I might have needed that to sober up (I don't drink and drive, but Im just making the point)
I headed back to Hamilton on the Tuesday to sort things out. My visa finally came on Wednesday - literally 20 working days - like they said it would, although I had hoped for it earlier, 20 working days is a long time when you have weekends and statutory holidays thrown in the mix.
Anyway, discovered they had dated my entry into the UK as being the 12th of February, not the 1st as planned, so I had a mini stress, but decided that the hidden blessing was I could muck around in the USA for 11 days, so its all good.
So today, I sorted some more things out, including paying for my ticket. To balance out my diss, I will send out a big ups to Morwenna Williams and the crew at Calder & Lawson House of Travel, as I have been happy with my dealings with them, they have parking, they are cheap, and proactive and helpful in regard to booking my flight, and they had a useful seminar in November on travel to Europe.
Anyway, the plan now - get some foreign exchange, have a birthday dinner for my Nana at the Rangariri pub, and hop on the plane. When I get to the USA, hop off, stay 2 nights in the YHA in Santa Monica, by then I should be relatively un-jetlagged, and then Im thinking of cruising around California - San Diego, San Francisco, and also trying to pop into Mexico (Tijuana) and Las Vegas, Nevada while Im at it. May as well try and tick off the West Coast of the USA if I can.
So anyway, I apologise if you don't hear from me for a little while, it will only be because I will be too busy having fun, and seeing the world, rather than wasting it on the net. But I will try to update this ASAP in order to retain the memories.
PS the title is a take-off of "The Real OC" (the real Orange County, California, a reality TV show, comparing real life in the OC to that on the show "The OC". For you non-Kiwis, an OE is "Overseas Experience" ie time aboard.)
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