My father flew in from cold snowy Sweden (-10 degrees C at the moment) before Christmas to stay with us for a month. We took him up to the Bay of Islands between Christmas and New Year where we stayed in a Opua holiday house that we rented off the internet using Days in the Bay.
It is a bit hard to rent off the internet as you never really know what you get and it is hard to judge from the web site photos as to what the quality of the accommodation is. In addition, my wife gave me a really hard time as she wanted a “proper” hotel! However, we were pleasently surprised, to say the least. The Opua house we rented was extremely nice, and the views out over the Bay of Islands were to die for. We spent the evenings BBQ-ing sea food on the deck and enjoying the views. I am back in the good books! This kind of accommodation beats any hotel. We will be back in the future.
The government announced today that it will not implement Section 92A as scheduled this Friday, but it will instead “be amended to address areas of concern”. As the famous quote goes, “common sense is not so common”, so I am somewhat surprised but extremely pleased that it prevailed in relation to Section 92A!
I am proud to work for a telco (TelstraClear) that took a stand against a law that was so badly “designed”. It will be interesting to see what industry consultation process the government will engage in for the amendments to the bill.
Last year I read an amazing Swedish book: “The girl with the dragon tattoo”. One of the best books I had read in a very long time. (Actually, it was given to me by my father as an audio book which is a great way to “read” books. Especially when you are busy, as you can listen to them when commuting.) I was blown away by the story and the authors cool and quirky writing style. Last weekend I was in a book store and saw that the book has been translated into English and is now available for sale in NZ.
This prompted me to purchase the second book: “The girl who played with fire”. I have just finished this book, and if anything it is better than the first one. Wow! The books are written by Swedish author Stieg Larsson and are part of the “Millennium” trilogy. Sadly Stieg Larsson passed away at age 50 from a heart attack. (Before the books were published!)
The third book with the Swedish title “Luftslottet som sprängdes” (“The air castle that was blown up”) has not yet been translated to English. I got so hooked on the second book that I am now reading this final and third book. (In Swedish of course.)
It feels sad knowing that I will not be able to read any further books from this excellent author. Highly recommended!
Isn’t it amazing how quickly a Christmas holiday passes! And especially when you are having a great time. We celebrated Christmas and New Year’s up at Houhora Heads, about half an hour north of Kaitaia. (And 50 minutes south of Cape Reinga!) Located on the east coast, it has a great selection of beautiful white sand beaches, and the fishing is nothing but outstanding. Caught a nasty looking barracuda, that we didn’t eat (full of worms), and many snapper (that we did eat). I brought a little portable fish smoker in which I warm smoked some of the catch. Delicious.
Today it is back to work, and time to get into working on some of the exciting stuff that TelstraClear will launch in 2009. Despite the doom and gloom of the financial world, I am positive and think that 2009 will be a great year!
