Contradiction is balance. [entries|archive|friends|userinfo] Axver [ website | U2gigs.com: for all your U2 setlist needs! (Got a question, suggestion, or addition? Feel free to leave me a comment! I co-maintain the site.) ] [ userinfo | livejournal userinfo ] [ archive | journal archive ]

Nine days in a leaky boat. [8 July 2007|02:35 pm] [ Tags | 2007 new zealand trip, grandpa, kapiti coast, lymphoma, nelson, new zealand, raumati beach, wellington ] [ Current Mood | contemplative ] [ Current Music | 'Ciel Errant' by Alcest ] Well, I'm back from New Zealand. It was quite the trip. ( Nine days back home. ) Link 4 comments|Leave a comment

[28 June 2007|11:17 pm] [ Tags | grandpa, lymphoma, nelson, new zealand, nzr, wellington, wikipedia ] [ Current Music | 'Deep' by Anathema ] Tomorrow, I leave for New Zealand. I won't be able to get on LJ or reply to e-mailed comment notifications while I'm there. I don't want to go. There are the usual factors, coupled with the fact this is my longest trip to New Zealand in many, many years and I'm really worried about my fish. They have food to last them; I just hope it dissolves at a satisfactory rate and they like it. I honestly feel guilty about leaving them here. I'm told zebrafish are pretty hardy though, so they'll hopefully be OK. But what gives me greatest pause is seeing Grandpa. At the moment, things aren't quite real. The image of Grandpa that I have in my mind is one of good health and humour. Now, I'm sure his sense of humour will still be going strong, but ... seeing him will very much make things real and that scares me. I don't want it to be real. Shame that reality's such a difficult thing to deny. I of course want to go too. I am very much a bundle of conflicting emotions. I very much want to see Grandpa, especially now as time with him feels so much more limited. But the reality upsets me. I'll have to face it in less than two days. I fly to Wellington tomorrow, spend the night with my father, then fly down to Nelson the next morning. We fly back to Wellington Friday next week, I get to see my other grandfather and visit the Kapiti Coast, and then come home early Sunday morning. These conflicting emotions don't make any sense. I keep trying to look on the bright side just for the sake of my sanity: I'm getting to go back to NZ much earlier than I anticipated (I was very much not expecting to go back until next year sometime), I get to see grandparents who I haven't seen in ages, I get to go back to my hometown, I'll get away from the monotony of hanging around my house by myself. But I can only keep that up for so long. Then I remember that Grandpa's seriously ill. It's rather unpleasant. Oh well, I know none of this is really making much sense. On a more positive note, a fact from an article I wrote on Wikipedia about the Seddonville branch line railway made the main page's "do you know?" section. Its time on the main page ended just before I began writing the entry, and the fact was: "did you know that the New Zealand Railways Department dumped tank locomotives of the WB class in the Mokihinui River to protect against erosion beside the route of the Seddonville Branch line?" Tremendously thrilling, I know. Well, it was of interest to me, and enough out of the ordinary that it made the page. That gave me a little smile. On that note, I shall leave you fine people. I hope you all have a wonderful nine days. I will try to enjoy my time in New Zealand as best I can. Even if it isn't the most joyful of circumstances, I will at least get some quality time with Grandpa, and that I am very much looking forward to. Until I return, have a good one, folks! Link 4 comments|Leave a comment

Hurricanes for Super 14 2006! [19 May 2006|08:50 pm] [ Tags | rugby, super 14, victory, wellington, wellington hurricanes ] [ Current Mood | HELL YES! ] [ Current Music | 'The Oncoming Day' by The Chills ] Remember last week? THE HURRICANES ARE IN THE BLOODY FINAL!!!!!!! (Consider the amount of exclamation marks to be an understatement.) This is like winning a World Cup! I could just about hug Jimmy Gopperth. What a HUGE kick to win the game. And the try Tana Umaga set up for Lome Fa'atau was just glorious, some of the most excellent rugby I've seen and the Waratahs barely knew it was happening until it was too late. Damn, what a good, close semi-final that was, and WE WON! I still can't believe it. It's like a dream. I never thought I'd live to see the 'Canes make the final. Oh, I wish I could've been in Wellington tonight. The atmosphere at the Cake Tin must've been simply electric. Dear Bulls, Please do us a favour and beat the Crusaders tomorrow so that the 'Canes get to host the final in Wellington. Cheers, Axver WOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Link 22 comments|Leave a comment

The Hurricanes have done it! [13 May 2006|10:05 pm] [ Tags | rugby, super 14, wellington, wellington hurricanes ] [ Current Mood | elated ] [ Current Music | 'Everything' by Shihad ] THE HURRICANES BEAT THE BLOODY WARATAHS!!! WE DID IT! You cannot imagine my elation right now. This is our best result EVER! After years of disappointing results, the Wellington Hurricanes have not only qualified for the semi-finals for the second year in a row, but we've finished SECOND in the regular season of the Super 14, which is not only our best result ever but also means WE GET A HOME SEMI. We beat the NSW Waratahs this evening at their home ground in Sydney, and they happened to finish third in the overall competition, meaning that they'll play us again next week in the semi - but this time, they have to come play us at the Cake Tin in Wellington! Just managing to qualify for the semis is incredible news. To HOST it?! Wow. Never thought I'd see the day. And if we beat the Waratahs again and the Sharks (or Bulls, if they beat the Stormers by something like 35 points or more) do us a favour and beat Canterbury next week, we'd get to host the final! I can't even begin to entertain the possibility of the Hurricanes even MAKING the final, let alone winning it. It's just inconceivable. If we beat the Waratahs next week, it'll be like New Zealand winning the bloody World Cup. Damn, you have low expectations when you're a Hurricanes fan. But it makes the elation all the more euphoric. I love this game. It's true what they say about rugby union, you know, that it's the game they play in Heaven. GO THE BLOODY HURRICANES! Link 11 comments|Leave a comment

[9 April 2006|06:38 pm] [ Tags | crap music, family, home, kapiti coast, new zealand, raumati beach, wellington ] [ Current Music | 'I'm But A Wave To ...' by Cynic ] Well, I'm back from New Zealand. Talk about a flying visit. Despite the fact I haven't been there in three years, most things were so incredibly familiar. I felt like I had never left Raumati Beach. Sure, some of the shops had changed, but at the end of the day, most things felt just like they always have. The weather was absolutely wonderful - a nice, strong northerly greeted me, and most of the time, the sun was shining (contrary to all Wellington stereotypes). Wellington is a truly beautiful city when the sun is out. It's a city you both love and hate - it's incredibly beautiful, with its bays and hills (mountains to Australians, I'm sure), but my goodness, it isn't built sensibly at all. The geographical location is not exactly conducive to good city design in the first place, and I'd forgotten just how bloody narrow Wellington's streets really are. Not to mention the maze of one way streets. But it's still such a fantastic city. I drove around the bays with my Grandad and uncle, and that was good fun. I hadn't seen either of them in three years either, so it was great to catch up. I spent most of the time with my father's side of the family (the aforementioned Grandad and uncle are my only maternal relatives that I saw this time around, though all my other close relatives on Mum's side live in Australia nowadays and the more distant ones don't live around Wellington to my knowledge). It's the first time we've had the entire side of the family together in ... years. Maybe the first time in over a decade? I'm not sure. All of my memories seem to have someone missing. Of course, this time around, Uncle Innes was missing due to divorce, so I don't know if he even counts any more. I always liked him, though. And his kids - my only close relatives from my generation - sure have grown. Last time I saw them was in the late nineties when they were half my size. Now they're both taller than me. Those who know me should get a laugh from knowing that I'm still one of the tallest in my family, though. I think out of the last three generations of my family, only four people (out of fourteen) can claim to be taller than me. I can already hear the laughter of the people who know me/mock my height/call me a hobbit. I'll probably have more things to say over the coming days, but for now, I think I will go and cook dinner. It was nice not having to worry about cooking for a couple of days. I sure missed my music, though. A discman can only do so much. I'm currently enjoying being re-united with my library of awesome music. When Dad put the radio on in the car, the selection of music was simply appalling. Can I just say that the more I hear of The White Stripes, the more I come to realise people who like them are completely and utterly mad and need their hearing checked? The same applies to fans of rap. Or to fans of anything that Wellington's 91ZM plays, for that matter. Utter rubbish, the whole bloody lot of it. Link 26 comments|Leave a comment

[29 March 2006|07:58 pm] [ Tags | death metal, kapiti coast, music, new zealand, procrastination, university, wellington ] [ Current Music | '...And The Great Cold Death Of The Earth' by Agalloch ] Alright, another update about life in general. Today has been particularly good. I received news that I have been awarded a scholarship to cover half of this year's fees, so that's excellent news and is a huge load off my mind. I'm still a bit peeved that the full scholarship was only available to students who graduated high school last year, though. University is pretty busy and overwhelming, though the latter is more a result of my own procrastination (and an inexplicable lack of motivation) than any extreme workload. My first assessment task is due in two days, and while I've completed the first draft, it's a couple of hundred words over the limit and I'll work on revising that tonight and/or tomorrow. Next week, I have two more assignments due: one is essentially done and the other I haven't even started. Oops? It kind of just slipped under the radar. As far as personal life goes, not a whole lot of note has happened lately. I'm heading to New Zealand at the end of next week for a brief visit, to attend my father's fiftieth birthday party. It will be awesome to see Wellington and the Kapiti Coast again. I fear the changes that may have taken place in the last three years, though. Last time I was in Raumati Beach, back in 2003, it already seemed like it was no longer the town I knew as a child. On an amusing note, I introduced my flatmate to death metal last night. I'd put a huge sampler of bands that I like on his iPod, which he had rigged up so that it played through the stereo's speakers in the lounge. He hasn't yet listened to the entire sampler, and one track he hadn't reached was the Opeth song I included. So while he wasn't looking, I selected it. Inflicting death metal on unsuspecting innocent flatmates is amusing. Maybe I'll have to find something even more extreme to get him back for playing Blink 182 and The White Stripes. All in good humour, of course! That's about it for now. Have a good one, folks! Link 23 comments|Leave a comment

[12 January 2006|10:12 pm] [ Tags | home, kapiti coast, new zealand, wellington ] [ Current Music | 'Candlelight Fantasia' by Symphony X ] Although I haven't booked my trip to New Zealand yet, I'll likely have it booked by the end of this week and I must say that I am delighted with the fact that I will almost certainly be flying via Wellington. The plan should be that I fly into Wellington, spend a night with my father, fly the next day up to Auckland, see the two concerts there, and then I fly back to Brisbane and Dad goes back to Wellington. Remarkably, this works out cheaper than flying directly to Auckland, mainly because I don't have to pay for another night in Auckland (all the flights on the actual day of the concert arrive too late). Oh, how I have missed Wellington! It will be good to be back, even if it's only for a brief length of time. I wonder if I will have the opportunity to travel up to the Kapiti Coast. I'm going to have to try. That place is so much a part of who I am, and come April, I won't have seen it for a whole three years! I don't know when I'll next be in New Zealand besides this March trip, either. In all likelihood, it'll be another couple of years unless Dad wants to give me a major present. So I must make my way up to the Kapiti Coast, even if it is just for an hour or two. Honestly, I fear it may have changed beyond recognition. My father tells me major roadworks are being undertaken at MacKay's Crossing to build an overpass to replace the level crossing with the railway. Back in 2003, I found my old primary school to be changed so drastically that it was no longer the school I attended - everything I loved and cherished was gone. If there is one thing I want more than almost anything but know I could never have, it is to happily live out my days on the Kapiti Coast, circa 1992-94. To live happily in the house I grew up in, raising a family, spending the weekends operating the trains at Marine Gardens, working at the local university that exists only in my imagination ... nothing could really top that for me. I fear I will live the rest of my life outside of New Zealand, and that truly pains me. But as I keep telling myself, you never know what the future will bring. Link 19 comments|Leave a comment

The Rugby World Cup, New Zealand, railways, and fun stuff like that. [18 November 2005|09:13 pm] [ Tags | government ownership, home, kapiti coast, new zealand, railways, raumati beach, rugby world cup 2011, trains, u2, wellington ] [ Current Mood | rambling ] [ Current Music | 'Come Home' by The Chills ] Well, well, well. New Zealand has won the rights to host Rugby World Cup 2011. I am thrilled, as you would expect, and I suppose I better start saving already because World Cup tickets surely will not come cheap and I'm not the wealthiest man on earth. The finals may be out of my league price-wise (indeed, I believe 2003 was by a clear margin and I doubt things will get any cheaper in 2011), but I'm already wondering what more obscure locations will score games during the early rounds. OK, so we're not about to see games in Eketahuna and Hokitika and Waikanae, but I imagine somewhere like Invercargill may score a game and it's not exactly a typical sight to see top level international rugby there, though whether a game between, say, Romania and the Cook Islands is 'top level' by virtue of being a World Cup fixture is extremely debatable. I'll be looking forward to a schedule that will give me an excuse to tour the country, as I haven't seriously travelled around much of NZ since about 1999 and I don't see myself having the time or finances to do that in the next few years either. Add onto this the reports that U2's 2006 tour dates of Australia will be announced in this Sunday's papers and the future's looking bright. 2011's quite a way down the line, but it's nice to think of something cool to come after university (at least the undergraduate part), and anything that gives me an excuse to spend time in the homeland is a bloody good thing alright. Goodness, I miss my country. You better believe that I'm flying over the Auckland U2 gig (or gigs), and that I'm praying for a Wellington show. I haven't seen Wellington since April 2003. I'm kind of nervous as to how much Raumati Beach has grown since I last visited, but I'm not so fiercely attached to Wellington that I want it to remain just like it was in 1997, and walking around the harbour, visiting the Museum of NZ and the Basin Reserve, and riding the cable car would be good. I'm sure by the time I'm next in Wellington, whoever owns New Zealand Rail will have repainted the commuter units again. Maybe this time some Mongol cattle herders will be the owners. Selling off the trains to private enterprise was the stupidest decision ever, as far as NZR goes. Now, they made some dumb decisions in the past, but relinquishing government ownership really did top the lot. Of course, now they've had to re-nationalise the network, but it's a bit too late for the Southerner, isn't it? Yes, let's cancel the passenger train that used to be the flagship of the network, that's a really brilliant move. Actually, now that I think about it, I'm not sure which was more daft, privatising the railways or the preceding deregulation of the land transport industry. If you can't tell, I'm rather keen on government ownership and all that good stuff. So I'm a wee bit biased, but I'm one of these people who will tell you that what's good for rail is therefore good for the country. It seems to be a rare viewpoint in this day and age of aeroplanes and multiple cars per household, but I am a rail enthusiast, so what do you expect? This has been quite the rambling, mundane entry full of tangents, hasn't it? Link 28 comments|Leave a comment

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