Thursday 22 May 2014

A wild post appears!

It uses procrastination, it's super effective!


So yeah, the blog. A lot has happened since (checks date of last post) October 2013! Time for a solid bullet pointed list I think.


  • Finished teacher registration, now licensed to teach anywhere* (*Anywhere where an NZ teaching qualification is recognised)
  • Got my dog. Loki, a heading dog who leaves me shaking my head sometimes but is always by my side, or when not waiting for me.
  • Went to Vietnam supervising a school exchange. While the country was very interesting and different, never again will I lead a trip composed primarily of teenage girls. Also ate pigeon, turtle, jellyfish, cow hoof and ostrich. Would only recommend the ostrich.
  • Attended the wedding of a couple of good mates as a groomsman. Tough job I know, standing there and looking pretty. But I think I nailed it. Was also a lot of fun being silly for the photographer and dancing with bridesmaids.
  • Got a .270 rifle for hunting deer. Have taken it out a couple of times but haven't had any success with it yet.
  • Moved house to a little cottage on a small farmlet by the lake. So much serenity. Plenty of room for the dog to run, and best bit. No noisy neighbours. Apart from the cows, and rooster, and geese...
  • Did some more stuff, outdoors adventures, tramping, hunting, etc. None of it is especially springing to mind though.
Have my red belt grading on Monday so hoping that goes well. Also have a tournament the weekend after. And then some other stuff. Might be I'll even blog about it. No one knows :P.

Wednesday 21 May 2014

My path to greatness.

Re-organised after being inspired by Steve Kamb at www.nerdfitness.com. Instead of a boring bucket list, I have turned it into quests to reach new levels. Each quest is worth 20% of a level. Master quests are a level each. All is subject to change due to life being unpredictable. Let's see what level I am now then...

Currently at Level 16! (80% progress to level 17)

Visit Stewart Island (Rakiura) - 11/07/2014 On my first day there I saw a Kiwi, in the wild, in the middle of the day. Amazing experience. It was so peaceful (being winter therefore no one was there). Also caught a load of Blue Cod, enjoyed THE pub quiz and took in the serenity. SO much serenity :P.
Get a promotion at work. - 17/06/2014 Assistant HOF Science. Once again I am a 2IC. Means more responsibilities but also an extra couple of grand. Sweet.
Get a dog - 01/01/2014 Loki, the mischievous heading dog joined me in my adventures. Being a puppy, he got right to work destroying anything left within his reach. Now 8 months old, he has begun to mature and calm down. Will have to work him though as he is very energetic.
Be in a wedding party - 17/05/2014 Stood as groomsman for good friends from uni. Had a blast, much fun being silly for the photographer.

Level 15 master quest - Become a fully registered teacher 22/10/13 The email arrived today confirming I am now a proper teacher for reals. 2 years of hard work spread over the last 6 (because they wouldn't count a lot of it as relevant). I can now go and teach pretty much where I want and get paid the right amount. Glad this one is over, it was a constant niggle throughout the years.

Level 14 master quest - Pilot a plane 21/07/13 - Wakatipu Aero Club. Right after my skydive I did this, took a plane out for around 20 minutes, flying around the Queenstown basin. Pretty cool but rather tame given the activity of the morning. Definitely hungry for more though.

Level 13 master quest - Skydive 21/07/13 - NZone in Queenstown. Wasn't originally on the plan for my trip down South, but I thought 'F*%k it'. The ride up I was trying to distract myself, then the door opens and my feet are hanging out into open space. A brief moment of 'Oh shit!' before the instructor pushes off and we go tumbling out. 40 seconds or so of free-fall all the while you are hoping and praying the chute will pop, then whoosh! Floating gently down above Lake Wakatipu. Absolutely amazing, absolutely terrifying.

Level 12 master quest -See the Aurora. 23/11/12 - Dancing lights in the sky above, unfortunately hidden partially by cloud. Also weird to see the Pole star much more overhead than what you see in England. 


Level 11
-Fly completely around the world. Done 08/11 - London - Tokyo - Auckland - Los Angeles - London.
-Visit Canada. Done 05/12/12 - They really are friendlier here, and much more so than Americans. Vancouver was very idyllic in the forest away from the city.
-Visit Scandinavia. 20/11/12 - Lovely place I definitely need to return to. Awesome scenery, amazing weather, expensive though.
-Visit Iceland. 03/12/12 - Really does look like another world. An amazing place with very distinctive landscapes.
-Snowshoe hike with huskies. 24/11/12 - Couldn't do sledding as the snow was wrong, but still had an awesome time hiking in the woods and hills with a pack of husky cross dogs.

Level 10 master quest
Attend a major festival. Done 08/06/12 - Download festival, was freaking awesome.

Level 9
-See Stonehenge. Done 08/04/10. During a spring break road trip. It is smaller than you would expect, although it is very quiet considering how close the highway is, and impressive when you realise these are the only stones for miles around, everything else is chalk.
-Visit Cawdor castle. June 10, road trip with the parents, very interesting place. Not as cool as Warwick though.
- Visit Loch Ness . June 10, kind of spooky when it is misty and still.
- See a movie in 3D. Done 19/12/09Avatar, really well done with good depth to the picture. The plot and action were pretty good as well.
-Get a professional massage. It was at a LARP event but I did pay for it :p.

Level 8 master quest
-Participate in a national sporting competition. Done 02. National secondary school rowing. And again 11/10 - Tae Kwon Do open competition in London, 2 golds!

Level 7
-See Eddie Izzard live. Done 04/12/09. The Stripped show at Wembley arena. Fantastic show with lots of new material linked into the old stuff. Highly recommended.
-See West-end theatre. Done 24/01/09. Avenue Q,Brilliant show, highly recommended but not for kids!
-Meet someone in person off the Internet. Done 03/09.
-Visit Dublin. Done 18/09/09. Great city, not many tall buildings but lots of old ones. Expensive day paint balling and night out. There for Gaelic footy final so very busy. Guinness tastes better here.
-Wake up on bench in the park. Done 07/09 (train station but close enough) Hard night in London, had to wait too long for the train and fell asleep, then fell asleep on the train and missed my stop.

Level 6 Master quest
-Ride a horse/motorbike/snowmobile/jetski . Done 92-ish/done 08/done 02-09/done 2011 Horse-riding as a child, bought my own bike early 08, snowmobiling in Poland early 09. Jetskiing in Portugal 2011 - if you turn sharply, the jetski turns, you go straight!


Level 5
-Do something that makes someone say, “You know, I really admire what you did!”. Done 09. A couple of people have said this about me going out into the world on my own.
-Win an award. Done 12/08. Medals for Solomons deployment count I guess.
-Set off a fire extinguisher. Done 01-02. Drunken shenanigans at a soccer party, CO2 is cold!
-Volunteer for a good cause. Done 09-12. Various youth related causes.
-Visit Paris. Done 17/08/09. Beautiful city, plenty to see and do, very expensive though.

Level 4 master quest
-Deploy with the army. Done 15/07/08. 4 month stint in the Solomon Islands sweltering in the heat and keeping the peace.

Level 3
- Write my will. Done 07-08.
- See a tornado. Done late 05. Final field ex of basic training watched 3 track across the horizon in Waiouru.
- Get below 10% body fat. Done 22/07/09. 3 weeks of lots of walking and partying with little sleep and food will do that, now to keep it that way.
- Make a complete and utter fool of myself. Done far too often. The reason why I don't drink heavily anymore, still happens though.
- Become a semi-acceptable cook. I have cooked for other people and they haven't died so success!

Level 2 - Master quest
- Serve my country. Done 25/09/05. Three years with the Territorial army, to which I will return.

Level 1
- Organise a stag party. Done 15/12/08.Michael Kelly's in Wellington, NZ. 2 nights of male bonding and drunkenness.
- Ride a roller coaster (can't believe I haven't done this yet). Done 8/06/12. Not a roller coaster but an exhilarating ride anyway, possibly more thrilling than a roller coaster.
- Plant a tree. Done sometime in 96-97. Intermediate school task, planting trees by the Waitara river. And again at some point in the past at a relatives place.
- Stay out all night partying and go to work the next day without having gone home. I'm checking this one off, having done several all nighters and carried on with minimal sleep is as close as I can get, given my profession. Also followed up and all night drinking session with a TKD tournament.
- Journey cross-country without a map. Done 2010-11 - sort of, drive towards somewhere then figure out where I am in Western England. Also, wandering about in Wales.

Master quests remaining 

Visit all six continents. 4 (Asia, Europe, Australia, North America) down.
Visit Antarctica (gets it's own one due to difficulty).
Climb a mountain (English mountains don't count, on account of them being hills)Dec 2014, Tongariro crossing, not counting it though.
Go on safari.
Become conversational in a second language (currently - a bit shit at many).
Black belt in TKD (Red belt as of 9/6/14, hopefully by end 2015. Nope.).
Run a 10k (04/2014)/Half (26km Mountain run with combat loading)/Full marathon .
Visit one of the great falls.
Gain dive master qualification (currently at - open water).
Complete arctic/desert/jungle survival training.
Become an outdoor instructor (Oct 2015 - Outdoor leader certificate).
Get married.
Have a kid.
Walk the Inca trail.
Walk from The Shire to Mordor (Matamata to Mt Ngauruhoe).
Walk the Te Araroa Trail (Length of NZ)
Own an apartment or a house.
Go to space (hey, why not).

Quests remaining
  1. Visit the Pyramids.
  2. Drive across New Zealand from North to South (So far Pukekohe down to Dunedin).
  3. See the Great Wall of China.
  4. Learn to play a new instrument (I can make the violin screech).
  5. Swim a kilometre in the sea.
  6. Fix a car/bike.
  7. Be able to play 10 songs fully on the piano.
  8. Visit the top of the Eiffel Tower.
  9. Learn to surf.
  10. Sit on a jury.
  11. Drink beer at Oktoberfest in Munich.
  12. Go up in a hot-air balloon.
  13. Fire an AK-47.
  14. Visit an active volcano.
  15. Drive a ridiculously expensive car.
  16. Change a stranger’s flat tire.
  17. Learn how to sail.
  18. Go whale watching.
  19. Fly first (or business) class.
  20. See a full solar eclipse.
  21. Visit Rome.
  22. Ride/fly a warplane.
  23. Create and maintain a bug out bag and survival kit.
  24. Become an ambulance officer/paramedic (at first responder level).
  25. Live on the ocean for a month.
  26. Get a tailored suit made.
  27. Go on a horse and hound hunt.
  28. Dive at Truk lagoon, Guam.