Gday all. Sitting here in Central Library doing my weekly update. Sorry its not more often. We don't have the net at our place. Its hooked up for wireless but we've got no laptop. Its on the shopping list I think.

Have managed to survive the first full week of work. Had second thoughts about doing the corporate thing while I was here and nearly decided to b***** off up to the islands and do backpacker jobs but after seeing my first pay slip I remembered just why we came here and knew that no backpacker job was going to get me the money that I'm on here in the big city.

Have gained a few other cool flatmates in the last week or so. One girl, Hannah, who goes to Uni here, shes an aussie but we're not holding it against her!! Also a guy moved in thats just moved from Germany, Sven. He's a good guy!. Jamie being the social butterfly has hooked up drinks for tonight at our place. Our flat is upstairs and downstairs with about 12 rooms in the whole place so it'll be cool to meet all the people that live there. A few that live upstairs with us aren't home very often and keep to themselves quite a bit so we'll just see if they come and join the festivities. Will let you know how it all goes next time haha uh oh!!!

Getting back into the routine now after a few weeks holiday and trying to get everything sorted out. Have found the cool places to eat and drink and also the local "personalities" ***cough.. hobo's... cough***, of our brilliant funky little suburb. There are the different homeless people around the suburb that you come to recognise....The Cobi's Express man with a coffee cup outside the coffee shop, the half naked man lying on the same bus stop each day and the jibberish lady that asks everyone questions....As I said its a pretty multicultural, funky place to live!! The night clubs and restaurants are open every night until late so it goes off every night so the place is always humming with an awesome vibe!

Still working my way through the many different places to buy lunch just down Queen Street. Guess I'm spending alot more on food than anything else at the moment but when everything you look at is different then its just got to be had. Am definitely starting to understand how people come here and get stuck!! Definitely not us though, we're about to buy our one way ticket out of here this week. Thinking it'll be end of May.

Managed to score free tickets to the first Reds game of the season last night against the Highlanders at Suncorp Stadium, courtesy of Air Pacific!. What an awesome stadium!! Of course we sided with the Highlanders and managed to be seated by the loudest guy in the stadium and he was wearing a crusaders shirt. The Aussies behind us thought it would be the perfect opportunity to rip into us about our kiwi accents and just about everything else about mighty NZ. The were cool enough though and we gave as good as we got! Bummer about the result though.

Got more photos to load on, hopefully do that in next couple of days. So hard getting to a computer though.

So easy to save heaps of cash over here. All we pay is our rent which includes power,gas, wireless net,water and a weekly cleaner bills and our food on top. As I said the other week I walk to work everyday so no petrol bills either. So all in all this place is a bloody cool place to live even taking into account the number of aussies that live here! I'll never get use to them!

Anyone feel free to keep me updated on whats happening in NZ. The only thing I've heard of NZ news over here is about that crazy terrorist lady in CHC airport. And cheers Kristene for your daily sports updates!!!

Any way thats enough for now. Keep chillin'

Mark