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‘Holidays’ Category

  1. They came. They saw. We rocked. Part 2

    December 22, 2011 by Stephanie

    Some of my pics from the Foo Fighters concert in Auckland, New Zealand on 13 December.

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  2. They came. They saw. We rocked.

    December 14, 2011 by Stephanie

    Coming soon. I swear. I’m so incredibly tired right about now that I’m struggling to stay awake long enough to get my thoughts down!

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  3. Gonna get my Foos on…

    August 19, 2011 by Stephanie

    Well, did I get a surprise in the mail today (technically yesterday but it won’t feel like yesterday until I’ve had a sleep, haha!) or what!

    I got a bill (boo!), the book that I ordered from bookdepository.co.uk (yay – just like my last order from them, it was delayed because of snow!) and a card from my mum that had “Merry Christmas” on the top. I looked at it, thinking that we’re in August and we’re nowhere near Christmas yet but I obviously figured that what was inside was my Christmas present.

    I left the card until last to open and when I opened it, I was actually glad that my flatmate wasn’t at home because I was jumping up and down like a freaking madwoman. My Christmas present from my mum is a ticket to the Foo Fighters concert in Auckland in December!

    I’ve been a fan of the Foo Fighters for as long as I can remember and have always wanted to go to one of their concerts but never had the money to get the ticket, then the flights to and from Auckland (from Invercargill), accommodation and transfers to and from the airport. The last time they were here (apart from the concert earlier in the year to raise money for the Christchurch earthquake fund) was in 2008. The last concert I can recall going to was the Tina Turner/Jimmy Barnes concert in Christchurch in 1997. I will admit that the Foo Fighters concert won’t actually be the first concert in years that I will be going to – I’m heading back to Auckland in October with my mum for the Meat Loaf concert.

    Already, I can’t freaking wait. Is it 13 December yet?

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  4. I am back

    July 9, 2011 by Stephanie

    I’ve been back in New Zealand since Tuesday and back in Christchurch since Thursday and already, I want to go back to Sydney. For good. Although my time spent in Australia was short, I did enjoy it, considering it was my first trip out of New Zealand in 13.5 years.

    Our flight to Sydney was late because the originating flight from Dubai was late leaving which put every other flight on that particular schedule behind. Out flight to Auckland was initially delayed by 20 minutes which then turned into hearly two hours. Everyone was on the plane at 10.15am Sydney time when the pilot spoke over the PA system and said that because of the high winds that were hitting the airport at the time, the number of available runways was affected and that Air Traffic Control weren’t letting us leave until 11am. Right on 11am, the plane reversed from the terminal but we didn’t actually take off until 11.45am. The one good thing about the flight was the tail winds which made the flight 2 hours and 15 minutes, as opposed to the usual 3 hours.

    Both the WWE shows that my mother and I went to were great. We had Meet & Greets before both of them: at Sydney, we got Dolph Ziggler and Zack Ryder and at Auckland, we got R-Truth and The Miz. Miz was absolutely awesome.

    More later.

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  5. A desert holiday, not quite packing the drag away…

    June 30, 2011 by Stephanie

    Bonus points for you if you can guess which movie I’m referring to with the title of this entry!

    Finally, today has arrived! 30 June. I’ve been waiting for this day since the beginning of December and the countdown then was over 200 days. Now, obviously, it’s at a nice round figure – zero! I’m finally leaving New Zealand for the first time in 13 and a half years and I really can’t wait! I got some more spending money at the bank yesterday and the lovely teller serving me even halfed the commission fee they charge for getting foreign currency because of the amount I was getting. I also got a regular ATM card because she noticed that my debit card is getting somewhat ratty around the edges – both ends of the strip on the back of the card have come away by about a couple of millimetres – and she said that she would hate for me to use my debit card while in Australia to either withdraw cash from an ATM or pay for a purchase only to have the card not work. Chances are that it will need replacing before it expires which is in May next year but then I’ll be getting a chip card.

    My suitcase is pretty much all packed – I just have a few items of clothing to put in it then I’m packing my laptop bag. My laptop has already been to Auckland and Invercargill and now I’ll be adding Sydney to that list. I will be taking my cellphone with me but I’ll be using it sparingly because of Telecom’s roaming charges and the fact that while I’m in Australia, I’ll be technically on an Australian network. I won’t be using my laptop whilst the plane is in the air because when you’re flying with an airline that has 1,200 channels of in-flight entertainment (this includes the games), why would I? I would also have to turn the wireless connection off too and I can’t be arsed doing that so my laptop simply won’t be in use until we get to the hotel.

    I guess that now, I should really finish off this entry, have some breakfast and finish my packing. SYDNEY HERE I COME!

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  6. Is it 30 June yet?

    December 4, 2010 by Stephanie

    I’m wanting it to be the 30th of June already, haha. And why? Because that is the date that I will be leaving New Zealand to head to Australia for the first time in over 13 years!

    My mum and I are going to Sydney and will be flying back to New Zealand on the 5th of July but instead of flying back into Christchurch, we’re detouring via Auckland for a couple of days. So now I have an incentive to actually renew my passport which expired back in 2007 – I already have the application form and I know where my old passport is so all I need is some passport photos then I’ll be sending it to Mum so she can get her friend to be my witness. I’ll need to get a new suitcase to take with me and I’m sure there will be other things to get in the time between now and checking in at the airport on the 30th.

    I’m looking forward to this trip already! And I’m already counting down the days until departure! I was checking out various airline sites yesterday to get an idea of prices and such – also to get an idea of what sort of entertainment would be available too. This month, Emirates are showing Family Guy and I love me some Family Guy, haha! But if the airline we fly with – more than likely Air New Zealand but I like them – doesn’t show anything remotely like Family Guy, I can always put some episodes on my iPod and while away the time watching them, even though I will probably need my newly acquired glasses to see it, ha!

    Yes, I have now joined the Cool Kids Club by wearing glasses. I had thought for several years that I needed them because things in the distance were getting blurry so I bit the bullet three weeks ago and had them tested. It turned out that I did need them and I was able to collect them on Thursday.

    I got two pairs for $199 as Specsavers – where I had the eye test done – had a special going where if I got one pair, I could get another one free. It was the word free that got me. I went in during my half hour tea break from work on Thursday night just to see if they had arrived and it turned out they had. I had a fitting of both pairs just to make sure that they fitted alright and that they wouldn’t go sliding down my nose. Then I started wearing them. Up until now, I hadn’t worn glasses (sunglasses don’t count!) so it is going to take me some time to get used to wearing them.

    But in saying that, they are amazing. Things in the distance are so much clearer now. There is a sign on the set of doors at work that leads to the undercover car park which I couldn’t read before unless I was on the very checkout that was the closest but with the glasses, I can now read it, no matter which checkout I’m on. People in the distance aren’t blurry so I don’t have to look like a nana with squinting just the right way to see their faces.

    Yeah, go me!

    Category Holidays | Tags: ,,, | No Comments

  7. Auckland related post coming soon

    August 10, 2010 by Stephanie

    There will be a post relating to my recent trip to Auckland coming very soon – just gotta sort my shit out before I add it, heh ;)

    Category Holidays, Me, Wrestling | Tags: , | No Comments

  8. Off to Auckland!

    August 4, 2010 by Stephanie

    In around 11 hours or so, I will be on a Boeing 737 on its way to Auckland. This will be my second time to Auckland – and second time there for wrestling, surprise surprise.

    I thought about doing my packing when I got home from work but that was as far as I got. I had another priority at the time – demoulding a pair of shoes that I’m taking up with me (probably wearing up!). At least they don’t smell like vinegar anymore, hehe. Knowing me, I’ll still be packing when I’m heading to the airport! I’m only away for two nights and I’ll be taking enough stuff with me to last a friggin week but that is what I normally do, haha.

    Now, I can say that both the show as well as the Meet and Greet before the show are TOMORROW!!! And for once, I’ll be in the same city as the one and only Aunty Gok – Gok Wan! I love that man! This will also mark my first trip out of Christchurch since I returned in March! Hard to believe that I’ve nearly been here six months. Time has certainly flown, pardon the pun! ;)

    Category Holidays, Me, Wrestling | Tags: , | No Comments

  9. Off to Auckland again!

    April 2, 2010 by Stephanie

    I’ll be heading off to Auckland again in August! For wrestling naturally. The WWE are having a show there on the 5th and I’ll be there. Everything is now all sorted so now I just have to wait for August to hurry up and arrive!

    Category Holidays, Wrestling | Tags: | No Comments

  10. 21 days

    December 10, 2009 by Stephanie

    21 days are left in 2009. Yesterday, I found out that I have the 24th through to the 27th off work, which is generally a mission in itself if you work in retail, like I do. Generally, where I work, the part timers have to work Boxing Day and don’t have a say in the matter. This will mean that it’s the first Christmas with my family since 2004 (I think – either 2004 or 2005) and I’m definitely looking forward to it.

    For the past couple of weeks, I have been in the store’s Christmas Shop which I have not liked and several people at work are aware that I don’t like it. I consider myself to be non-religious and being in that particular department makes me feel somewhat uncomfortable. For several months beforehand, I was in another department and I’ve definitely gained product knowledge, in that I can talk to customers about certain things and how to use them (like soaking all of your linens overnight in cold water then washing them as normal). In the Christmas Shop, once you have completed the dusting, there is nothing to do. Add to that the fact that last weekend, I was the only staff member in there and I will be the only staff member in there this weekend too. The week of Christmas has me in there from 9am-9pm on the 21st, 10am-9pm on the 22nd and 10am-5.30pm on the 23rd. I am not looking forward to that at all.

    Several people at work have told me that I really should be looking for another job (a better paying one at that too!). It’s something that I definitely plan on doing in 2010. I’m beyond tired of having my hours and wages not being consistant. I need a regular income. I need to know that I can afford to buy food each week. The lowest pay I’ve had this year was just under $75 – out of that, I had to pay my board and credit card bills and also my car’s registration which happened to be due that week. I couldn’t afford to pay for the registration (not even three months which is the minimum) so I asked my mother if she would pay for it for me. Sometimes, I really do wonder about a certain person at work and what they’re thinking. So that’s my mission in 2010 – get a decent job, one that pays a little better than my current one ($13 an hour – 50 cents above minimum wage), and one that will provide me with regular hours and wages. I wouldn’t be telling people to apply for a job where I am. I’m telling them that now actually!

    Category Holidays, Work | Tags: | No Comments

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