This week was a reasonably busy one, but in a good way. There are a whole lot of things that I managed to get done, I saw a whole lot of people, went to a party and also took a trip to Twizel. It started off pretty well with Martini Monday with my father, which is a tradition that I hope to continue for a long time. I don’t know how well I’ll be able to do that in Japan, but I’m sure I’ll figure something out. ^^

So, this week’s work involved doing some concepts, going to meetings, investigating random problems and of course doing some actual coding. I even spent a bit of time on my business site writing the code that went with the design I made last week. All in all I’m quite happy with how things are going work-wise as it seems to be pretty manageable.

I got the guitar fixed this week (after having it randomly snap a string while I was sitting next to it the other day) … just went in and got the strings replaced. I’m pretty sure that hadn’t been done just about since Siobhan got the thing in the first place, so it was in pretty dire need of it. While I was getting this done I had what I refer to as “a Christchurch moment” – New Zealand is a pretty small place (only 4 million people, total) and so the odds of New Zealanders knowing each other seems to be somewhat higher than other countries – I refer to it as the world’s biggest small town on a pretty regular basis. Christchurch is more than somewhat microcosmic of this phenomenon. Anyway, the relevant moment was running into my ex-girlfriend Jess, who works at the Rockshop, where I got the guitar restrung. Jess was more than amiable and we had a bit of a catch up. Turns out she’s just back from her honeymoon and monstrously busy with her post-wedding stuff. Hopefully I’ll have a bit more of a catch-up with her while I’m still in New Zealand, although it may be similar to another of my previous ex-girlfriends in that she was just being polite to me because I happened to show up at her place of work. Odd occurrence, that. I didn’t think I was really that bad a guy, but hey, I’ve never dated me. After all of this, I managed to get some good playing time out of the guitar this week, which was fun. ^^

I managed to talk with a bunch of people online again this week, which has been great. I finished beating Nik at chess (again) and even talked to Robert in Argentina, which was cool. I’m always thankful that I’m able to keep in touch (in real-time) to all the people I know around the world, particularly when I’m in that weird tired-but-not-tired space late at night (which is usually just right for the other time zones that people are in)… although the converse is also true – I’m really shitty when I have no internet and can’t keep in touch with people like I’m used to!

This week was my grandfather’s 80th birthday celebration and once again it was held at my Aunty Katherine’s house. It was a good gathering of the family, I got to see some great old photos and see some relatives who came down from up north as well. My grandfather’s pearl of wisdom for this birthday (he gives out some good ones) was that the age that you’re at is the right age for you to be, and it’s a great age to be at. Very Grandad, that. ^^

Anyway, I got to see some people this week, had the pizza and cartoons night on Thursday this week with Dan and Ian. It’s getting to be a bit of a thing, which is kinda nice. Ruby also showed me a couple of things which were amusing – a show called QI (“Quite Interesting”) and some live stand up by Bill Bailey.

On Friday after pottering around doing odds and ends, Mum picked me up and we drove down to Twizel for the Canterbury Rowing Championships to see my brother race. We stopped in Geraldine for dinner – mine was pretty good, Mum said hers was pretty average verging on not good at all. Anyway, we checked into the motel in Twizel and had a bit of a quiet evening in. I watched Lord of War, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I don’t know why people bag on Nicolas Cage so much, I think he’s a good actor.

Yesterday we were down at the reach, watching the rowing, talking with Dace and so on. Breffni, Dave and Megan dropped through, it was good to see them. A friend of Mum’s and her daughter (who rows) passed through as well. Apparently the daughter and my brother keep having a series of near-misses where they don’t quite meet each other. After a long day in the sun it was back to the motel… I managed to get some quite heavy sunburn, but luckily for me it hadn’t quite reached the “painful to shower” stage. Anyway, Dace came over to the motel and we sat down and watched Old School with Mum. Dace’s friend Jen came over to the motel as well and chilled out watching tv and talking smack for a while, which was pretty cool. After they left I stayed up and read the rest of my book (the one I got for Christmas) – I couldn’t sleep. Eventually I crashed.

This morning it was up after three or four hours of sleep to shower and pack all of our things up to check out and then head to the reach. I tried not to burn again today, although I did get a couple of little new ones… mostly I was just trying not to make the ones from yesterday worse. I got to see Dace row some more and took a whole lot of pictures, but mostly I just lay down dozing and trying not to burn. The culmination of the racing was the big eights race against the New Zealand four, which was pretty awesome to watch. ^^ After that we grabbed Dace and headed back to Christchurch. We stopped in Geraldine to pick up a pie, and I half-talked, half-dozed the rest of the way back. After I got back to Dad’s I set up my computer and did emails and online stuff for a while, then had pizza for dinner and Ruby over for some movies.

Phew! Long week.

Probably the biggest news this week is that my father and Elissa arrived back from the UK on Tuesday, which is pretty cool. It’s great to have the house a bit more filled up – while it’s great having people over during the day, there’s something about having more people sleeping under the same roof that’s just… I don’t know, it’s a good feeling. ^^ I got to talk with Dad a whole lot more now that he’s back, and it has been great catching up with Elissa as well, it’s been a really long time since I last saw her.

Probably the other biggest news this week is that I started up a new email correspondence with my professor at the University of Tokyo. Apparently I’m already on their list of international students, and I needed to make arrangements for my dorm room application… I love how I get this kind of thing before I hear back with the official word from the government that I’m at the final stage. Mental. Anyway, a barrage of comments and questions to my professor and my contact at the Japanese Consulate this week.

I also managed to get a good bunch of work done this week, which is always a nice feeling. It involved a fair bit of running around on my part (I seem to be doing that a bit more than I thought), but in a good way.

Earlier in the week I managed to catch up with both Warwick and Paul, my old bosses from when I used to work at E-caf in the Arts Centre. It was good catching up with them, seeing what they were up to and so on. Warwick went over to Japan on the same scholarship that I’m in the throes of, so it was good to get another perspective on that, too. Both of them seem like they’re doing well for themselves, and enjoying what they’re presently doing (software stuff), so I’m happy for the both of them.

I’ve chatted online with people, caught up with a few more for coffee, watched some movies, did a redesign of my business website (which isn’t live yet and won’t be until I transfer everything to the new server) and had some more sleep issues. I did manage to get some sleep, though, which is always nice when it happens.

Most of this week entailed nights where getting to sleep was something of an issue and the next morning was very dopey for longer than usual. Despite this, I managed to get around and see some people, being moderately productive.

On Monday Dace was over doing a few bits and pieces of work-stuff, so I talked to him for a fair bit, wrote some emails, made some calls, etc. Later on I saw Serah for dinner and we had a bit of a catch up, then just chilled out at her flat and watched Howl’s Moving Castle. It was still good watching that again, I think I’ll have to get that on DVD at some point. I might even watch it in English, as when the credits were rolling past I saw some actors I like and respect, so it might not be horrific. It was good spending some time with Serah, having some Thai and catching up. Later on I dropped in on Rach’s flat and chatted with her, fixed her wireless and saw Cam for a bit. Cam and I arranged to meet up the next day to go to a movie.

The movie Cam and I went to (with his brother Will as well) was I Am Legend, which I’d been wanting to see for a while. It was very different from the usual zombie fare, and I thought Will Smith did a great job. Anyway, wasn’t a whole lot of catch-up with Cam, just a bit of chit-chat, really. Was good to see him, though. Back to Dad’s after that for some emails and talking to Anastasia, then it was off to the Golden Key Exec meeting. The meeting turned out to only be two other people and as such it didn’t really seem like much got decided on. I’ve indicated that I’ll help out where I can, but if things are going to be like that the whole time, I don’t know how much I’m going to be able to help them. Anyway, after that I came back to Dad’s and looked up some game development resources online, then later Ruby came over and I helped her with a website she has to make for her homework.

On Wednesday I had an earlier than expected start… not as much sleep as I could have got, I reckon. More importantly, I got the call about my provisional scholarship acceptance. The Japanese government has provisionally accepted me and now they just need to finalise the details with the University of Tokyo. There could be some other reason that I’m not able to go there, in which case I’ll be going over to another university that they pick for me. I spent the rest of the day writing emails, fielding calls and doing a bunch of work. On the whole I was feeling pretty good! I had pizza for dinner and watched some anime, then later went over to Rach’s place and chatted with her for a bit. She fed me strawberry pie, which was a new experience – a pretty good one, too. Back to Dad’s for a few short emails before the end of the day.

Another earlier-than-expected start on Thursday – looks like my body is just waking up at a particular time here and I’m going to need to adjust my going-to-bed time or I’m going to be a tired wee bunny while I’m here in NZ. I had a phone call from Alison today, who I’ve been trying to get a hold of for ages. She’s going to try and come down to Christchurch for a bit, or if that doesn’t pan out I’ll try and go up to Hamilton to see her. Dace came over again today, we had lunch together (sushi and BK) and talked some crap. That afternoon after banking a long-overdue cheque, I had coffee with Andrea and talked for ages, as we have a wont to do. I walked her back to her place via the supermarket and chatted a little more, then I head off. Back to Dad’s to chat with Greg for a while, then talk to Anastasia on Skype. I walked down and picked up some Subway for dinner (was going to get fish and chips, but the usual place was closed), then sat down and watched some anime with dinner again. After dinner Ruby came over and I helped her some more with her assignment until quite late, then walked her back to her mum’s place, which is just around the corner from here.

On Friday I was ultra-dopey, but still managed to field some phone calls for Dad’s businesses and do various bits and pieces on my computer. I had thought that a technician was going to be coming over to do some server work, but turns out no. Ruby came over again to tweak her project and to just hang out for a bit, Rach came over briefly to scan some stuff as well. I was going to be going golfing with my grandparents, but that got cancelled. I did have dinner with them however, then had quite a long discussion about all kinds of things with them afterwards, which was really cool.

Yesterday I actually got some sleep, which was nice. I did some laundry and talked some people online. Ruby tried to convince me to go to a party, but I wasn’t feeling the vibe – she settled for having some dinner with me and chilling a bit before she went. I spent a bunch of time porting some of my very old journal entries from the files that were lying around into the same system I’m using now… you’ll see there are some entries back in 2003/2004 now – that’s from my first trip over to the US, although it’s only a partial record, I think I lost the version with the last few entries. Anyway, Ruby came over and we had Indian for dinner, watched movies and had a few drinks… Ruby decided I was more fun than the party in the end and just crashed over after we were done with our movies for the evening.

This morning I talked crap with Ruby for a while, then went to have coffee with Jemma and Emma. We caught up for a good couple of hours sitting outside, and I managed to sunburn my arms a little in the process! Afterwards I dropped in on Mum, who was fresh back from Kaiteriteri – I didn’t go this year for various reasons, but I’m glad that it’s still a family thing to do. We talked about dinner later, then I went back to Dad’s to do some work for a bit. I picked up some fish and chips on the way back, then Mum and I sat around talking and eating. Mum was pretty bushed after her long drive back, so I left a bit earlier than usual, went back to Dad’s, did some email and online stuff for a while, then went over to Ruby’s place and watched Interview with the Vampire and Ella Enchanted. Guess who picked which movie? Despite my misgivings about watching Ella Enchated, I thought it was a fun, cute movie. Narrated by Eric Idle and Cary Elwes as the overly dramatic bad guy… bound to appeal, I suppose. ^^

I’ve been feeling a little directionless lately. I know where I want to go, but I’m not sure about the route to get there. I want to develop games and build up my own game business, I want to visit and work in Japan… I want to be with Anastasia as well… and I want them all at once! This is something of a problem, as I can’t have them all at once and they’re generally going to be wildly different geographies as well. I mean, I’m sure I can do bits and pieces of all of them slowly, but it’s going to be frustrating. Assuming everything goes well on the scholarship, I’ll be in Japan for a while… I might have some opportunities to work a bit while I’m over there, although I’m meant to be focusing on my studies. While I’m there I can develop my skills for making games, although I won’t have a whole lot of opportunities to keep them in practice. I’ll do what I can, I suppose. After my stint in Japan I’ll hopefully be able to go back to a more permanent stay with Anastasia as well. I’m not sure where she’ll be or what degree she may be pursuing at that point. I’m sure I’ll find a way, I guess I just want more of it to be happening now than it is, particularly in terms of being with Anastasia. Long distance is hard, but last year I got to be with her more permanently for pretty much the whole year, and it’s really hard going back to long distance after that. I don’t know… it’s just all a bit much sometimes and I need to remind myself to calm down, take deep breaths – I’ll get there eventually.

Happy New Year, everyone.

New Year’s Eve for me was very quiet this year. I was feeling particularly unsociable and really not wanting to see bunches of happy couples kissing, so I stayed at home. I had a few drinks, watched some television and talked to a bunch of people online. All in all the evening suited me far better than if I had gone out, so I’m happy about that. The new year kicked off with me being very lazy and then inviting Daniel over. Daniel and Ian came over and we had a bit of a Gargoyle-fest, which was great fun. Daniel crashed over, then we watched some anime in the morning together until Ian came over, then it was back to the Gargoyles. ^^

After a bit Ian left, so Daniel and I went back to watching more anime. It was good fun, talking crap about the shows we were watching and just generally enjoying being around one another. Dace came over for a little while after dinner (we had Indian) and I got to catch up with him a bit, which was cool. After that it was anime into the evening then crashing out.

On Friday I did some invoices while Dan watched movies, Dace dropped through again for a little bit, Daniel and I went to see National Treasure 2, which I really liked. I’ll supplement by saying that I quite liked the first one as well – they were both movies about geeks and solving puzzles with a greater purpose and sense of importance, which appeals to my not-so-inner geek as well as my liking of a greater (self-driven) purpose. Anyway, on the way back we picked up some souvlaki and watched the director’s cut of Daredevil, then talked and talked into the evening.

Yesterday saw a bit of a late start, then checking up on my emails, etc etc. I watched Finding Forrester over lunch with Daniel (I love that movie), then took him home. I spent the rest of the day doing work, sending out emails and talking to people in the US online. For my evening I had some pizza and then watched the end of season one of Prison Break (I know, I’m so behind…). I really like Dominic Purcell – the first thing I saw him in was John Doe (which I thought was awesome), then again in Blade: Trinity, and I just continue to be impressed with him. I found I quite enjoyed the first season, although I’m not sure how they’ll be able to maintain the same ingenuity even if they keep the intensity for the second season. Anyway, the first season is worth getting on DVD at some point.

Today I did some laundry, talked to a raft of people online overseas then had some rellies pop in. My aunt and uncle and cousins from Nelson dropped by and had a bit of a catch up, which was really cool. I don’t get a lot of chances to see them much, so it was neat having them over for a cuppa. Man have my cousins grown… I keep thinking of them as being really little, but they’re not really, not any more. Yikes.

Anyway, the rest of today was just writing a whole lot of emails, messing about on my computer and talking to people online.