First Birthday in a Foreign Country

Yes, the Playboy Mansion Party went well. Guests were welcomed into a voluptuous Skybar decorated with pink and black balloons, a borrowed lingerie mannequin, and a bubble machine. Dave went as a pimp, and me, as Hefner, complete with the signature smoking jacket and a pipe. We got a few girls to be bunnies and we all had a wicked night! I still think the Bond party, however, was the best.

(Barbara, Dave, and I)

(Dave with Millie and Gemma, and Petr, Millie and Dave dancing on the bar)

Last week was my birthday party! The night before my big day, we had a small get-together at my house. It was refreshing to not be at a bar and get a chance to BBQ and socialize. Friday, the 10^th, I had a party at Skybar. I didn’t expect anything, but when I walked up there, I was astonished! Dave Harris (I call him Davis), co-worker and best friend, had decked out the whole place with balloons, streamers, and pictures of me and my friends all over the walls! Wow, how special! The night started slow with a cheese platter and a few nice drinks, but then quickly proceeded into a serious piss-up session, as one does on their birthday. People I didn’t even know recognized me from the photos on the wall and bought me Jager Bombs and shots of Chartreuse. It was an epic night.

(Skybar decorations and Chris, Angelo, Kat and I)

(Me, Nikki, and a pumping Skybar)

Saturday, we all went to see Shapeshifter over in Wanaka, a kiwi drum and bass band with very positive lyrics and hints of hip-hop. I’ve seen them before and they are excellent performers, please check out this band if you like electronic music. Their newest album, Solstice, is choice.

(Shapeshifter in Wanaka)

What a great birthday! Three days of enjoyment and one of the best I’ve had. Thanks to all!

If it sounds like a constant party down here, well it is. I guess that’s the nature of running a bar, but most of the time, I like it. I’ve still been having some of the best, most memorable times to date down here and I don’t want it to end. Things have just been working out so great for me since I’ve gotten established. I don’t know if it’s been my positive attitude, just meant to be, or both, but I’ve been so fortunate the last 9 months.

Currently, I even have a few engineering job prospects on the horizon. I’m writing this blog entry from the Wellington Airport since I got flown up yesterday for an engineering interview by a company called OPUS. Today I had an interview with Weta Digital, one of the leaders in the computer animation sector of the film industry contributing to such films as King Kong, Shrek, and Lord of the Rings. Can you believe it? How I got that one, I don’t know, but what an opportunity! They want me for my Solidworks 3D modeling experience.

Just finished with both interviews and everything went smooth. For the first time, I didn’t get nervous for interviews. I feel so confident knowing that NZ is in such a shortage for skilled people. I felt that anywhere I drop my resume, I will get attention. Its such a great feeling. It takes the pressure off the interview and I feel like I can promote myself even more. They never asked the HR questions like why should we hire you. They were so chilled out and laid-back (yes, the Kiwi style) and just was telling me about the job and trying to get me interested. I felt like they were on interview, not me. It was a great experience.

NZ is such a relaxed place with so many subtle differences from the US, you can’t help but fall in love with that. For example, I didn’t even go through ANY security to fly from Queenstown to Christchruch! In addition, during the flight, the pilot said that since we were 10 min. early, a clear nice day, and his last flight for a while, we were going to fly over Mt. Cook! So he took the whole plane (a 737) over Mt. Cook and the West Coast and pointed out the glaciers and Mtns. A spectacular view from the air! Would that ever happen in the US? Diverting a plane for sightseeing? Even when I went through security at Christchurch, the guards were friendly, the line short and fast, and it was just painless. Flying here is painless. A lot of things here are made so simple and trusting to people, I can’t believe it.

That said, I’m thinking of staying another year, especially with these real job opportunities on the go. I’ll keep you all posted, thanks for reading!!