* A little late with this post, but it here goes:
If you've seen my last post, I spent Tuesday evening playing netball for the very first time. Well, my constant whining about not knowing what to do ultimately led me to a man named Pete. Pete was putting together a basketball team for a weekly tournament on Thursdays and invited me and Jen to join his team.
I don't think I need to type where I spent my Thursday evening. There was just one issue -- men couldn't play defense on me. They could swipe at the ball, but they couldn't touch and try to block my shot when I drove to the basket. It's something they call "social rules" for women.
If you've ever seen me play or played against me, you know how absurd this "social rule" is. Honestly, I was a little thrown off by the lack of contact. I especially didn't know what to do when my opponent started encouraging me on a putback. I thought they were going to stop the game when I actually fell trying to get the ball.
Despite the unorthodox rule, I enjoyed myself. Our team lost (I can't remember the score), but I'll definitely be back the following Thursday.
Maybe I can get them to change the social rule for me.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Netball anyone?
I have heard of netball. In college, a few friends from Trinidad and Tobago explained the concept of the game. They even pulled out paper and pen to fully drive home the point. Jen, on the other hand, knew nothing about netball, but that didn't stop her from signing us up for a netball team.
For those who don't know, netball is a game kind of like basketball but there is no backboard and you can't dribble. And you can't touch anyone ... ever. It's mainly a women's sport, but dudes play it too. Here's a wikipedia breakdown.
We played Tuesday evening and despite all the things my friends told me, I was just as clueless as Jen on the court. It was a pretty cool event held on the area netball court in Waihi. It was the most people I've seen out since the Waihi Goldfest Festival in early October.
All my years of playing basketball helped at times, but for the most part, it worked against me. Netball requires defenders to give three-feet of space. I don't like that and I was penalized a lot.
Despite my lack of skill, it was a fun time and I'm definitely keen (that's something people say in New Zealand) to do it again.
Here's a little evidence for your enjoyment:
For those who don't know, netball is a game kind of like basketball but there is no backboard and you can't dribble. And you can't touch anyone ... ever. It's mainly a women's sport, but dudes play it too. Here's a wikipedia breakdown.
We played Tuesday evening and despite all the things my friends told me, I was just as clueless as Jen on the court. It was a pretty cool event held on the area netball court in Waihi. It was the most people I've seen out since the Waihi Goldfest Festival in early October.
All my years of playing basketball helped at times, but for the most part, it worked against me. Netball requires defenders to give three-feet of space. I don't like that and I was penalized a lot.
Despite my lack of skill, it was a fun time and I'm definitely keen (that's something people say in New Zealand) to do it again.
Here's a little evidence for your enjoyment:
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Mighty, mighty All Blacks
It wasn't pretty. In fact, it was very, very ugly. But the mighty All Blacks ended a 24-year drought to win the 2011 Rugby World Cup. New Zealand beat France, 8-7 (that's right, 8-7!) on Sunday night. I couldn't be happier for the team and their loyal fans. Jen and I went to watch the game by a pair of faithful fans in Waihi Beach. The close score meant little relief for our lovely hosts until that final whistle blew. After a huge sigh of relief, the celebration soon followed.
GO ALL BLACKS!!
On Saturday, Jen and I went to the Tauranga Arts Festival. We checked out an outdoor exhibition called Grace: The Exhibition which compared the style and grace of rugby to dance by pairing a live rugby photo with a dance photo simulating the same play on the field. The result led to some truly creative shots.
The second exhibition we checked out was the World Press Photo at the Tauranga Art Gallery. It showcased "the world's most prestigious" photos taken by international photojournalists. The traveling exhibition has been all over the world and seen by over two million people. Some of the photos were really breathtaking. If you get a chance to check it out, I highly recommend it.
We wrapped up our artistic day by checking out a documentary called Tabloid. It chronicled the life of a woman named Joyce McKinney and her alleged abduction, imprisonment and rape of a Mormon man. There's also cloning worked into the story. (Still not sure how that was related). Jen and I knew nothing about the movie and kind of picked it on the fly. Once again, if you've got some time, check out this very zany story.
Cheers!
GO ALL BLACKS!!
On Saturday, Jen and I went to the Tauranga Arts Festival. We checked out an outdoor exhibition called Grace: The Exhibition which compared the style and grace of rugby to dance by pairing a live rugby photo with a dance photo simulating the same play on the field. The result led to some truly creative shots.
The second exhibition we checked out was the World Press Photo at the Tauranga Art Gallery. It showcased "the world's most prestigious" photos taken by international photojournalists. The traveling exhibition has been all over the world and seen by over two million people. Some of the photos were really breathtaking. If you get a chance to check it out, I highly recommend it.
We wrapped up our artistic day by checking out a documentary called Tabloid. It chronicled the life of a woman named Joyce McKinney and her alleged abduction, imprisonment and rape of a Mormon man. There's also cloning worked into the story. (Still not sure how that was related). Jen and I knew nothing about the movie and kind of picked it on the fly. Once again, if you've got some time, check out this very zany story.
Cheers!
Monday, October 17, 2011
My kind of city
I'm a city girl at heart so when it came time to make the trek to Auckland on Saturday, I was ready. Auckland is a little over an hour and a half from Waihi and is quickly becoming the city on the North Island. Wellington is the official capital of New Zealand, but it seems Auckland is more popular. It's kind of like Albany being the capital of New York, but Manhattan is where everyone goes.
Anyway, we began the day at the Auckland International Carnival at Glen Innes. We missed the parade but caught a belly dancing performance. But the real purpose for any festival is the food. There weren't as many stands as I thought there might be, but I did have some dim sum, kettle corn (a personal favorite) and bubble tea (Jen's personal favorite). Jen got a samosa.
We headed over to the Auckland fan zone which is set up for the Rubgy World Cup. It was filled with people from all over the world proudly supporting their teams with painted faces, colorful costumes and of course, flags. Jen and I even got into the spirit of things by getting a black fern painted on our cheeks in support of the home team. (That's New Zealand if you're new to the blog).
But the best part of the trip was the giant rugby ball. It's been to Paris, Tokyo, Sydney and London and not only serves as high-end venue, but also, a huge audio visual screen that showcases New Zealand culture. It was a long wait to get in, but it was definitely worth it.
We ended the day with a weighty burrito and made it home just in time for the RWC semifinals between Wales and France. France won and will face the mighty All Blacks (Again that's the New Zealand team) in the Rugby World Cup Final on Oct. 23rd.
As always, I leave you with some photos taken by our chief photographer and me, I took photos too:
Anyway, we began the day at the Auckland International Carnival at Glen Innes. We missed the parade but caught a belly dancing performance. But the real purpose for any festival is the food. There weren't as many stands as I thought there might be, but I did have some dim sum, kettle corn (a personal favorite) and bubble tea (Jen's personal favorite). Jen got a samosa.
We headed over to the Auckland fan zone which is set up for the Rubgy World Cup. It was filled with people from all over the world proudly supporting their teams with painted faces, colorful costumes and of course, flags. Jen and I even got into the spirit of things by getting a black fern painted on our cheeks in support of the home team. (That's New Zealand if you're new to the blog).
But the best part of the trip was the giant rugby ball. It's been to Paris, Tokyo, Sydney and London and not only serves as high-end venue, but also, a huge audio visual screen that showcases New Zealand culture. It was a long wait to get in, but it was definitely worth it.
We ended the day with a weighty burrito and made it home just in time for the RWC semifinals between Wales and France. France won and will face the mighty All Blacks (Again that's the New Zealand team) in the Rugby World Cup Final on Oct. 23rd.
As always, I leave you with some photos taken by our chief photographer and me, I took photos too:
Monday, October 10, 2011
Xterra Trail Challenge
Feeling my way through a pitch black cave, I suddenly realized I should have focused more on the word "trail" instead of "run" when I signed up for the Xterra Trail Challenge on Saturday. I was so focused on the 7.3k distance that I failed to think about all the mud, countless rocks and caves that would make up a chunk of the route.
The race was held at Karanghake Gorge and was incredibly scenic, but truthfully, I was more focused on the course. Especially when it was time to walk across the suspended bridges that rocked violently when anyone walked across them.
The race was divided into 7.3k, 13 k, 19 k and a marathon (42.2 k) distances and featured racers of all shapes, sizes and ages. Some kid who looked no older than 13 won the 7.3 k race. (No my feelings aren't hurt!). Jen and I finished in the top half of our age bracket (20-39) and I won a free pair of running socks.
Because Jen is fully committed to the success of this blog, our chief photographer brought her camera with her on the race. Here are fewshots: (Remember she was running when she took a few of these).
The race was held at Karanghake Gorge and was incredibly scenic, but truthfully, I was more focused on the course. Especially when it was time to walk across the suspended bridges that rocked violently when anyone walked across them.
The race was divided into 7.3k, 13 k, 19 k and a marathon (42.2 k) distances and featured racers of all shapes, sizes and ages. Some kid who looked no older than 13 won the 7.3 k race. (No my feelings aren't hurt!). Jen and I finished in the top half of our age bracket (20-39) and I won a free pair of running socks.
Because Jen is fully committed to the success of this blog, our chief photographer brought her camera with her on the race. Here are fewshots: (Remember she was running when she took a few of these).
Monday, October 3, 2011
Spelunking, glowwarms and chocolate cake
It was the most breathtaking sight I've seen thus far in New Zealand. Sitting in complete darkness with only the sound of the boat gently gliding across the water, I was in awe. The blue light illuminated just about every inch of the cave ceiling and walls. Our guide had earlier described the sight as extraterrestrial. Turned out he was right. Too bad we couldn't take pictures.
From the moment we landed in New Zealand this was Jen's biggest request and we decided to go on her birthday.
They are advertised as glowworms, but in fact they're actually larva looking for lunch. The glowworm life cycle starts off as an egg, then a young larva that takes over nine months to grow to the size of a matchstick. The third stage is the pupa, kind like the cocoon stage for a butterfly. The last stage is the adult stage which lasts just a few days for reproductive purposes. (Feel smarter?)
We visited the Aranui Cave (my favorite), the Ruakuri Cave (Jen's favorite) and the Waitomo Glowworm Cave on Saturday. Each cave has a different story of orgin and are all located in the town of Waitomo, about 2 1/2 hours from Waihi.
Aside from the glowworms, the caves are filled with huge stalactites and stalagmites made of limestone. They say it can take 100 years to form one cubic centimeter of stalactite. One of the formations we saw was around during the time of Christ. (Pretty old).
After a day of spelunking and a good meal at an Asian restaurant in Hamilton, Jen and I ended the day with chocolate cake and ice cream.
Here are a few photos:
From the moment we landed in New Zealand this was Jen's biggest request and we decided to go on her birthday.
They are advertised as glowworms, but in fact they're actually larva looking for lunch. The glowworm life cycle starts off as an egg, then a young larva that takes over nine months to grow to the size of a matchstick. The third stage is the pupa, kind like the cocoon stage for a butterfly. The last stage is the adult stage which lasts just a few days for reproductive purposes. (Feel smarter?)
We visited the Aranui Cave (my favorite), the Ruakuri Cave (Jen's favorite) and the Waitomo Glowworm Cave on Saturday. Each cave has a different story of orgin and are all located in the town of Waitomo, about 2 1/2 hours from Waihi.
Aside from the glowworms, the caves are filled with huge stalactites and stalagmites made of limestone. They say it can take 100 years to form one cubic centimeter of stalactite. One of the formations we saw was around during the time of Christ. (Pretty old).
After a day of spelunking and a good meal at an Asian restaurant in Hamilton, Jen and I ended the day with chocolate cake and ice cream.
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