Run & Jump

While my parents were planning their trip to visit me in New Zealand, I made sure that they put Wellington on our itinerary. After all, since learning all about Peter Jackson in my New Zealand cinema class, I felt the need to stalk him (with the hope that we would meet and he would discover how passionate I am about good films and decide to give me a job... as you may have guessed, this occurrence only happened in my dreams). My parents patiently stopped by the Weta Cave with me as I drooled all over the displays (I feel like this happens a lot - the staff was ready with mop in hand). Then they wanted to go to Te Papa, the national museum of New Zealand, so I fulfilled my daughterly duties and went with them. Don't get me wrong, I am all about learning new things, they just need to be either (1) on the discovery or history channels with cool graphics and reenactments or (2) interactive. I soon discovered that Te Papa is highly known for the latter :) I took this photo near the end of our adventure through the museum. It's an interactive map of New Zealand that shows one how each part of the islands was formed when one walks over certain locations (you can see my lovely parents in the background pointing out Wellington). Call me a nerd, but it was awesome.



Now for some cool links, I know I haven't posted any in a while, so I hope these make up for it:

(1) Watch this interview by Rachel Maddow; it's a few days old, but oh so good. She schools a well-spoken but utterly simplistic thinking (is idiotic too harsh?) man: Click Here

(2) There are no special effects in this video yet it's better than half the special effects infused blockbusters. Crazy, aye? Click Here

(3) Another reason I love my generation is because of websites like this (most of us have a good sense of humor)!

(4) If anyone is concerned for my future in filmmaking, this article may not be for you... but don't worry, I'll change it all when I get there... :/

Flying Into Wellington

I counted my photos today and all together I took over 27,000! I agree with you, that is was too many! However, that number includes multiple images of the same subject as well as experiments with exposure settings. In truth, most of the images I took will only be viewed by my eyes because I took them to remember the moment: instead of writing everything down, I take photos of it all... perhaps too many, but I'd rather have more than less photographs.

Clear Day At Cape Farewell

I decided to be on time with the photo for today... check back later for more about this beautiful day at the South Island's northern-most point.

You First...

This is another image from my spring break trip to the South Island (seems like only yesterday... or 2 months ago...what?). I took this somewhere between Franz Joseph and Makarora. Though it's beautiful, the West Coast is barely populated because of its ruggedness (yea, I want to see you trying to make it down to that beach...). I was reminded of this photo because my parents are coming to visit on the 21st, but only have two weeks to hit the best spots in New Zealand. You see, I haven't planned a trip since I've been here, I've just pointed at a map and headed in the correct direction (thank goodness for isites!). However, now I have to be a giver of advice and it have become more complicated than I anticipated. Apparently my subjective opinion is acting as an invisibility cloak over reality. Where is my enthusiasm from my arrival back in Auckland after an amazing two weeks in the South Island? I wanted to show my parents everything then, yet now I find myself being overly critical and selective. Yikes! (did studying change me that much!?!) I think my issue is that I want to be outdoors, tramping, taking photos, and letting the earth calm my soul before I just back into the excessive culture that is the states. Yet my parents are more keen on seeing everything possible (who can blame them though, this country is amazing).

My solution: come back to New Zealand after graduation with a friend who wants to live out of a campervan for a bit and do some real tramping and camping... any takers? please?

PS: I'm free! Exams are over! Time to let off the steam built up from cabin fever! However, I had a "poetic" moment (as Ben C. put it) yesterday when I took my last exam (for my favourite class, Politics and Media) in the same lecture hall that we had International Student Orientation in... I began and ended my sweet as semester at Auckland Uni in the same room... choice, bro.

Also, I'm very much looking forward to this documentary (and I don't say that often): Anne Perry - Interiors

Bouncing Colour

Another spring break photo for today. I took this photograph while on a boat tour of the Milford Sounds. It was a pretty cold and rainy day, but that didn't diminish the wonders of the area for a second - in fact, it may have made the sites even grander. It was quite possibly one of the most magnificent places I have ever been (even if there are way too many tourists), so I didn't think any of the images that I took did it justice. Therefore I decided upon posting this photo simply because it shows the atmosphere of the day and I liked how you can see the picture that he is taking on the back of the camera (any one who knows me knows I love taking photos of people taking photos).

Uni

Today's image isnt' that special, it just made me really excited. I took it in Albert Park, right off of campus and for the first time this semester, it actually looks like a campus! Yesterday was the last day of classes before semester, so everyone was taking advantage of the beautiful day and celebrating. I had the option of going on a hardcore tramp this weekend, but I just wasn't feeling it. So, instead I stayed in Auckland... and I don't regret it one bit. Last night I went to dinner with some kiwi friends and then ended up having one of the best nights yet. After dinner, we came over to my apartment, had some beers, and talked until 5am (hence the unltra late post today). In the group were kiwis, a german, a south african, and me (an American). We talked about tons of word issues mixed with some light hearted conversation... the kind of night I love. It was choice to hear everyone's points of view and the differences in our countries as well as our upbringins. It was an amazing way to the end the semester and start finals. Today, I woke up late, went to lunch at a sweet as burger joint with some friends and hung around K'Rd for a bit going through some vintage shops. I also managed to find a Colorado belt buckle to add to my collection (I mean, how could I really pass up finding a Colorado belt buckle in New Zealand??). Life is beyond good right now!

Stradbroke Shark

So, Kaite and I thought that the Aussies on Stradbroke Island were just trying to see how gullible two Americans could be when they told us that a shark had washed up on the beach. Well... apparently, there actually was a shark down the beach from us. We finally saw it and marveled at it on our walk into town. The back half of its body was gone, as well as its eyes and all of its teeth (people had taken them I presume). At one point I did see one of its teeth still in and I got closer to grab it, but then.... the smell hit me. Ten times worse than anything my nose has ever encountered before. I couldn't handle it and therefore backed away without the tooth, oh well. Needless to say, this encounter made us really eagar to get in the water... oh, wait... haha

So Flash

Somewhere in the Golden Bay region.

Cheers

The internet was out all day today and yesterday I went on a day trip back to the Coromandel Peninsula. Anyway, here is the photo for today. I am sad to say I don't know exactly where I took it. I just know that I took it out of the window of the Stray bus on our way from Makarora to Queenstown (closer to Queenstown) while on spring break.

Koru

I don't have much time to write today because I have two papers due on the same day next week and I want to write one today (have I mentioned how much I miss the block plan - having Mondays and Fridays off are great, but having 4 different subjects at once is not). Anyway, this is an image I took while tramping in the Abel Tasman National Park. I like the fact that you can see the fern in the background as well as the spiral in the foreground - both national symbols of New Zealand. I promise to post more landscape images soon, but I took over 5,000 images so I'm still sorting through them and I haven't had much time lately. Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed the ones I've put up so far!

Bogan

So, the last few posts have been named with New Zealand saying that have caught on with us Americans - or, at least we've tried to get to get in the habit of saying them. All I can say for boan though is to just look it up. I took this photo at Wharariki Beach (remember my other post here). In the photo is Ben again. I took this as the sun was setting and we were headed back to the car. You can see how rough the waters were that day, which made the whole expierence of Wharariki even more profound. We literally just sat and walked around the empty beach for 2 or 3 hours - losing track of time completely. With the elements extremely strong that day, everything seemed to be against us, but the beauty and isolation of the place kept us there. It was by far one of the most spectacular places I have visited to date. As Ben said, something about that day on that beach just made us understand a little bit better how the world works.

Dodgy

Oops, I forgot to update this morning. This is yet another image that I took through the car window on my IFSA-Butler adventure weekend (I promise we didn't spend all of our time in the car). More photos from my spring break are still to come!

Cheeky

You may recognize Mt. Doom (LOTR) in this photo, but it's really just Mt. Ngauruhoe. It had a lot less snow on it than a month ago when I went skiing, which hopefully means summer is coming fast to the North Island. Just like yesterday, this photo was taken from the car window while traveling on our adventure weekend... Now for Sunday, we woke up bright and early, had breakfast, packed up, got geared up, and headed out to a gorgeous river to do some white water rafting. Our guide said the water was murkier than usual, but I still thought it was beautiful (I swear this country has the most beautiful water I've ever seen). We rafted all morning and into the early afternoon, I had never done it before but I was awesome. The rapids were pretty mild, but still got us soaked sometimes. We also came to some gentle water where we were allowed to swin - er, to put more precisely, I was thrown into the water (apparently it's customary to throw the birthday girl into the beyond freezing water). Well, eventually everyone in our raft ended up in the water and it was refreshing even if I couldn't feel my hands or feet for a while afterwards. Overall, the river was absolutely gorgeous as were its surroundings and I had blast. Anyone up for rafting with me when I get back to the states?

Choice

I know I have barely posted any photos of my spring break yet. However, I had to take a break from sorting through them to show you a photo from this weekend. I took this out of the car window while driving through Taupo on the way back from our IFSA-Butler adventure weekend. In the background you can spot Mt. Ruapehu and Mt. Ngauruhoe (left to right).

We left Friday night to head down to the Tongariro National Park region for our adventures. On Saturday we were supposed to do the Tongariro Crossing; however, the weather had other plans for us. Instead we did a less intense tramp, but it was still fun (however, I don't have many photos from the tramp due to clouds & very numb hands). After the tramp we went caving, which had to be one of the coolest experiences I've had in NZ so far. We split up into small groups and headed into a cave with a guide. We had to use our own flashlights and we got to see glowworms without other tourists breathing down our necks (like Waitomo). However, the best part was when our guide left my group in the cave, telling us to find our own way back (by following the water). We had to crawl through minuscule openings and extremely cold water. Gratification was ours when we managed to climb up a waterfall in the dark and through the smallest opening I think I've ever gotten my body through and saw light. We ended the day with a soak in some hot pools (as we do after every event), some homemade pizzas, and great conversations. As for Sunday, I'll write about that tomorrow.

PS: You may remember my other posts from skiing at Whakapapa: Blessed, Look Directly Into It, Break Time, Perfect, An Ad, Drama, and Watch Out.

Model Pose

On our way from Nelson to Christchurch, Ben and I stopped to spend a night in Kaikoura. I instantly fell in love with it (you'll read that statement a lot in the coming posts). Once we got there, we met up with two other friends, Lauren and Jill, and went to a seal colony to hang out and take photos. Then, Lauren, Jill, and I decided that we wanted to wake up to see the sunrise - one of the best decisions made during my break. We woke up the next morning - not so bright, but very early - and went back to the seal colony. I'm a skier in Colorado, which means I get to see my fair share of sunrises in the rocky mountains on winter mornings that I didn't think could compare with anything else. However, I was wrong. Not only did I get to see snow capped mountains turn to gold, I also got to expierence the waves crashing at their bases while seagulls and seals wondered why we were disturbing their peace. It sounds like a scene from some Disney princess movie, but it was ten times better than that. On our way out of the parking lot, we noticed a group of very large (to say the least) seals and had to stop to capture them on our cameras. This was one of them...

Click Here to read an inspirational blog. It is written by Lisa Ray, who has been one of my favorite actresses ever since I saw Water (you may remember my blog post about it: here). Most people who know me, know that I love actors and actresses that haven't quite made it big; because when an actor or actress's high-profile personality gets bigger than his or her talent, it's time for me to tune out. I no longer see the character, I just see whoever is playing them. However, Lisa Ray is different. I have now seen five of her films and I never notice her, the actress, I notice and connect to her characters - that is what I consider great acting. However, now I am paying attention to her for another reason: because she's not afraid to talk about what the rest of us are afraid bout: cancer. Every single person I know has been effected by it, one way or another, which is probably what makes it so difficult to talk about it. However, if you still can't talk about it, at least you can read about it on Lisa Ray's incredible blog.

Lenses Can Distort

So, what is one to do when one is waiting in a car at a gas station for the driver to get back? Well, this one decided to take out her camera and look around the area through her lens. I snapped a few quick shots and this was one of them. It's nothing special, but I thought it would be more interesting than yet another landscape (of which you will get plenty more after my break).

I also decided to post this image because it was the closest image I could find that kind of, somehow, in my weird mind, reminded me from the film I saw last night. Before I tell you the film, let me first state that I am in love with films that mess with your head so much that you can't decide what is up/down or backwards/forwards or linear/circular or anything (I've been this way ever since I was introduced to the world of Requiem for a Dream [2000 - Darren Aronofsky]). That being said, I was destined to love Mulholland Dr. (2001 - David Lynch). Mulholland Dr. takes messing with its audience's head to a whole new level, so much so there is actually a whole website dedicated to the various theories about how to interpret the film. I have heard about this film for years - everyone loves it, or at least understands its greatness, but no one understands it. I have always wanted to watch it, but my parents kept telling me that they had tried to watch it 6 or 7 times and could never stay awake, so I avoided renting it for their sakes. However, this time around I wanted to watch Sunset Blvd (1950 - Billy Wilder), but itunes did not have it, so I decided to watch another L.A. movie and Mulholland Dr. came to mind. I absolutely loved it! I couldn't understand it anymore than anyone else, but it was so beautiful (the transitions alone were some of the best I have ever seen) and just a well made movie - and it will scare/freak the crap out of you. It's amazing. Oddly enough, now that I have been raving about it to my parents over Skype, they claim that they have seen it 5 or 6 times and loved it each time... I don't know which version to believe, especially after seeing the film itself.

If you were born in September (or any other month of the year...that should be everyone), click here and get inspired (if this doesn't do it, I don't know what will).

Long Road

I did not upload a photograph from New Zealand today; instead, I uploaded one I took in Vietnam. I decided to do so upon hearing the news that an officer who conducted the My Lai massacre has finally apologized. I guess now is better than never, but it has been a long time coming. As most of you know, I spent 5 weeks doing community service in Vietnam between Junior and Senior years of high school. The area I worked in was My Lai (it is really just a village in a whole area that got massacred, but that is what they chose to call the incident because it was the biggest one in the area at that time). We were told we were the first group of Americans to come to the area since the war; whether or not that was true, I hope we left better memories with the village of Tinh Hoa than the ones they had of Americans before. To see the actual dirt roads, ditches, and trees that the infamous photographs of the My Lai victims show was a spiritual expierence that only those who were with me understand. However, what inspired me to try to live a thoughtful life was not the location, but the people. As hard (or even as simple) as it may seem, the Vietnamese people do not teach hate to their children. Though the government may promote a vengeful view towards the US, the Vietnamese people welcomed us with open arms. They knew we had no control over what other people from our country did and they did not judge us based on their actions. They also seemed to have that attitude towards each other, it was amazing and refreshing. I did not realize how ingrained hate was into our society until I came back from Tinh Hoa. I cannot even explain it; it is not a big fight or war that turns us against each other, but it ends up being all of the little actions, words, and quick assumptions/judgments that do so. I didn't pick this photo for any particular reason, it's not even one of my best ones from the trip; I was just scrolling through the images and opened it. For some reason, it seemed like I was seeing if for the very first time and I smiled.

If you were born in September (or any other month of the year...that should be everyone), click here and get inspired (if this doesn't do it, I don't know what will).

Sunny Over The CBD

This is a photograph of downtown Auckland that I took on top of one of the volcanic cones in Auckland, Mt. Eden a few weeks ago. Today is one of those days when I wish I was little again. I wasn't feeling very well yesterday and today I got hit in the face with a cold. It's not that bad, but it's still one of those days when you just wish you were at home again so that mom can take care of you and listen to you complain. However, I look at this photo and I am glad that I have the chance to be in Auckland, even if I do have to miss out on mom's good 'ole chicken-less noodle soup on days like this.

Incident

I wanted to get a shot of this sign, but then a woman walked right in front of me. Turns out she wanted to get a photo of it too. In the end, I got a photo of just the sign as well as this one. Oddly enough, I like this one better.

Beware

I apologize for posting today's photograph a bit late. It has been a busy day around here. Anyway, you have to love a zoo with a sense of humour!