This place aten't dead

Listen: No Room in Frame - Death Cab for Cutie

Haven't blogged here for almost a year, but just dropping by in case - in whatever small probability that you're still reading this - to tell you that I have another blog here, and a travel microblog updated almost daily here. I didn't sign in to this account for so long that Google had to send a verification code to my phone cos 'there's something unusual about the way you're signing in'. Yeah thanks.

So the new blog is a joint site with the husband, who did the layout for the main page, but not the blogs (this is his) since it's through Wordpress (ahahaha). So he posts the photos and writes in Chinese; I post the long wordy posts in English and give you the boring details. The travel microblog seems to work fine in the app but not through the usual browsers, so make of it what you will.

Right, you're going to ask: How's the trip so far?

[Update! I started my working holiday in New Zealand last year in October with the husband. Been here since then, except for a 2 week break in February cos the husband's parents insisted we had to be home for CNY for our first year of marriage. Meeting the extended family, you understand.

2nd update! We passed our first marriage (not wedding, cos the wedding was in September haha) anniversary in March.]

I'll reply: I'm really glad I had the chance to do this. Makes you realize what you've taken for granted. Like indoor bathrooms and a good night's sleep in a nice warm bed. Buuuttt if I hadn't gone camping, I wouldn't have known how nice it is to fall asleep outside to bird sounds (there are nocturnal birds, okay) and the sound of the sea. I've stayed in a condo beside Gurney Drive at my relatives' place a few times, but camping and hearing the waves is a different thing altogether.

Also you'll realize that there are lots of things you can give up when you have to be super careful of your budget. No money or space to buy books? Borrow ebooks to read on your (old!) iPad. Auckland Libraries is so so good I could cry. Thought I had to buy Pratchett's last book about Tiffany Aching - but the ebook was up for borrowing a few weeks after it was released. Got to read it for free ugaiz. Much happiness. And the magazines you can borrow online - while limited, still - are pretty awesome. Of cos those magazines have a limited number of downloads per weekly issue, so well-known titles like The Economist hit their limits within 1-2 days. Still, no complaining. I have downloaded more magazines than I have the time to read. Shameshameshame

Aaaaand been on my first tramping trip, and will say I won't do it again. I'd like to know how the DOC (Department of Conservation in NZ) classifies the difficulty of the Great Walks. And facilities and tracks on the Great Walks are generally better than the not very Great Walks, so I wonder if people who do go on those tracks are on Bear Grylls mode the whole time. Probably. Wouldn't be surprised, judging by the 'easy-moderate' rating for the Routeburn track we went on. By the last - and third! - day of the tramp we (there were 6 of us) were joking that the 'well-graded' track that the DOC brochure mentioned was a track that got an A+ rating from the grader (I'd like to know the grade was for what too), but wasn't the easy walking track that a sane person would have in mind. Buuuut you'd have to read about the tramp on the other lengthy blog, so do go back for updates. Not here.

Pop culture update time!

**HERE BE SPOILERS**

Is it me or is Season 6 of Game of Thrones getting disappointing? That downward slide started with the Sand Snakes, started accelerating when Doran Martell got killed (You were my chosen one! You were supposed to have a grand plan you could execute and bring the Lannisters to their knees! You lied!) and then skidded at the bottom when Melisandre resurrected Jon Snow.

a) I had a feeling Jon Snow wouldn't be dead, even though the book said so.

b) Melisandre resurrecting him was a cop-out, because I was hoping Jon Snow could be a warg and was only waiting for the right time to return to his body. Or he got stuck in Ghost's body.

c) I wanted ice dragons! You hear me? ICE DRAGONS!!

That scene where Tyrion sat awkwardly with Missandei and Grey Worm trying to make conversation - painful. Very. This is getting out of hand.

Anyway, GoT aside, been watching Arrow and The Flash. (When you camp in autumn and it gets dark before 6 pm, you better have back up plans for things to do in the dark. Not that, don't be dirty-minded.) Arrow was interesting until they started taking themselves too seriously, and then the only person who seemed to be having fun was Felicity, and it wasn't so interesting anymore. The Flash, on the other hand, probably was written while the scriptwriters were half-drunk and betting on the number of jokes and pop culture references they could cram into one episode. Geeky, yes, but at least most of the cast seemed to be having fun.

Right, we've got Penny Dreadful coming up too, more movies since summer (in the Northern Hemisphere) is almost here...what will we do with all that time and limited money?