tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-361553122011-04-22T10:32:55.221+12:00derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.comBlogger401100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-12759921504882138102008-04-04T09:48:00.010+13:002008-04-04T11:03:49.941+13:00

Once again, I haven't posted in a while, but this last little excursion I went on to the Poor Knights Islands was worthy of blogging. From the 20th of March to the 25th of March, Lori, Kevin, Jalil, and I flew up to the northern part of New Zealand to get our advanced open water scuba diving certifications at one of Jacques Cousteau's top ten dive sites in the world.I kept a journal on when we

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-19506627370093021992007-11-08T15:45:00.000+13:002008-11-13T19:07:46.450+13:00

Time flies when you're in another country. Haven't posted in a while, but just wanted to note, probably for myself more than anything, that I've survived an entire year in another country. So much has happened, yet in the blink of an eye. Almost like a dream! You know how dreams in reality are only about a few seconds, but so much happens in them. It's kinda like that! Anyways, Halloween

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-30828300476974864352007-08-29T16:53:00.000+12:002007-09-06T15:25:36.535+12:00

The weather was a bit wintery upon arrival, but it was still relatively warm compared to Melbourne or Wellington. It even rained a little bit that night, but I was still able to walk around in shorts and a light shirt, which was nice... almost forgot that it could be warm while it was raining thanks to Wellington! =) Anyways, we ate dinner at a Mexican Restaurant called "Tortillas" on the main

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-28727931320707440292007-08-24T13:56:00.000+12:002007-08-24T14:11:47.149+12:00

Cairns, our second stop in Australia, was really just a launching point for our real destination, The Great Barrier Reef, which deserves a post of its own. Nevertheless, Cairns was very beautiful in its own right, with its tropical temperatures and bright sunshine. If I could steal one thing about Cairns and bring it to Wellington, it wouldn't be the crazy party scene at night (which got a bit

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-26477675045913367122007-08-23T10:31:00.000+12:002007-08-23T11:43:05.307+12:00

Howdy folks, wise men say "pictures are worth more than a thousand words", so here's a link to my somewhat bloated album of Melbourne (totally felt like one of the many asian tourists in Australia). For some reason I felt compelled to take as many pictures as possible because this was my first real "holiday" in another country (not counting New Zealand because I came here to work). Anyways, one

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-66409917253189240362007-08-22T10:02:00.000+12:002008-11-13T19:07:46.569+13:00

Hey folks, I've been busy doing a lot of stuff in the past month or so since I've talked to you and I hope you've been keeping up to date on my web album photos!Anyways, I just recently got back from a trip to Australia last week, and I've taken 4 GB worth of photos and videos!!! Thank god for canon digital elph cameras' ability to read 4GB SD cards! Originally, I was going to take last week

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-52242951059168200312007-07-03T10:13:00.000+12:002008-11-13T19:07:46.974+13:00

The Sky Tower "Sky Jump" in Auckland was great... partly because we all got coupons that gave us a pair of free photos. Anyways, here were my photos, and you can bet all your money that I had thought about this well in advance, heheh.The jump consisted of being strapped into a harness on a wire that they accelerate you straight down 630 feet up to 85 kph. The wire slows down near the end of the

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-91971374574891552872007-07-02T10:37:00.000+12:002008-11-13T19:07:47.371+13:00

I'm writing this now because I'm afraid I'll forget something! Anyways, I just got back last night from a two-day trip to Auckland city, which is a 1 hour flight north of Wellington. Our primary objective was to rock out to Guns N Roses at the Vector Arena, which we had purchased tickets to earlier in the year. The second objective was to do something extreme, like Sky Diving out of a plane at

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-68510253741241556882007-06-29T13:28:00.000+12:002007-06-29T13:44:38.140+12:00

Well, yes the line is used in the movie. And it riles up the nostalgia like no other in this action-packed thrill ride, which can be at times nauseating for the inexperienced moviegoer. Yes, I am talking about Transformers the movie. And what a movie it was. No, this isn't just some cheap cop-out revitalization of an archaic toy franchise (although every boy in the world will want the action

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-70796278529024221882007-05-26T17:41:00.000+12:002008-11-13T19:07:47.968+13:00

So this past week was a pretty busy one at work and a lot of cool things happened. My six-month lease on my old nissan ended (zoiks, I've been here for just over six months already!), so I decided I had saved enough money to just purchase a cheap car and not have to worry about monthly payments, since it seems like I will be staying here for a while (because of Avatar - coming out in 2009). So

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-16063295316356630092007-05-20T15:15:00.000+12:002008-11-13T19:07:48.180+13:00

Video of me doing a scuba dive off of a boat in Porirua on the 28th of April.We did two boat dives off the coast of Mana Island (sounds like a crazy video game), which is in Porirua. That was pretty sweet, as we saw some awesome underwater terrain (a little underwater canyon) and a bunch of sea life. Head on over to Kevin's album to see what we saw. The other people on our boat were advanced

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-57007816538733044672007-04-22T14:35:00.000+12:002008-11-13T19:07:48.341+13:00

On the 20th of April, last Friday, I organized the first of hopefully many monthly pie days at Wexford (the animation building at Weta Digital), continuing Chad Shattuck's tradition at Rhythm & Hues. The kiwis here like savory pies, so they all wanted mince and cheese and steak and bacon and egg in their pies, so Jeremy and I bought a few from the store. But the real pies as we know them in the

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-41191966257879963312007-04-03T14:26:00.000+12:002008-11-13T19:07:48.595+13:00

Another packed weekend. Why am I so busy? I guess being bored sucks, but I've forgotten what that's like. Anyways, this past weekend involved scuba diving off a boat, running around a haunted maze, and acting like Colin Farrel and Sam Jackson in the movie S.W.A.T.Boat DiveThis was actually quite the adventure, as we all got geared up at the Splash Gordon Dive shop, boarded a boat that was

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-69755192939639897692007-03-27T21:29:00.000+12:002008-11-13T19:07:48.745+13:00

March 24-25 was quite the action-packed weekend. It started on Saturday morning, dark and early at 5:30 a.m., when I woke up to go Spearfishing with co-workers Tom, Vic, and Kevin. I always thought of myself as a late night, anti-morning person, but I think I did pretty well. I think that going to bed at 9:30 p.m. the night before in preparation helped a lot - I know, on a Friday night, ha! I

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-54300905890429708242007-03-12T00:54:00.000+13:002008-11-13T19:07:49.070+13:00

Did the hike around Mt. Doom over the weekend. It was absolutely fantastic and gorgeous and demanding and exhausting at the same time. Eight hours of "tramping," as they call hiking here in New Zealand can take a toll on a computer geek's body. It wasn't just a friendly stroll through nature, this hike. No, no, on the contrary, there were parts where we had to scale small mountain ridges,

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-25985072934181446722007-02-26T23:06:00.000+13:002007-02-26T23:24:21.525+13:00

Been keeping pretty active and busy lately. Started playing soccer with some co-workers at lunchtime on Mondays and Wednesdays to keep active and get in some exercise. My legs are starting to feel stronger (and sorer) from running around at ultimate frisbee and now soccer. Also I went to my first Rugby game ever... it was the local new zealand team "The Hurricanes" versus Australian "Brumbies"

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-17085335749626777082007-02-22T00:38:00.000+13:002008-11-13T19:07:49.423+13:00

Saw Richard Taylor again on Tuesday. The first time was at Comic-Con 2005. That man is such a great person, so down-to-earth, and a master of his craft. He is the head of Weta Workshop. Just to clarify, I work at the division called "Weta Digital." The difference is that we make the computer effects for movies, and Weta Workshop makes the practical effects (miniatures, costumes, physical

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-1171834664209476342007-02-19T10:24:00.000+13:002007-02-19T11:12:54.866+13:00

Last week, I took part in an intensive training course to get PADI SCUBA certified. I forgot what PADI stands for, but it means I can scuba dive anywhere to a maximum depth of 18 meters (~54 feet). I would never have thought of doing this, but it's been quite the adventure. Kevin, a co-worker, organized this whole thing and four of us (me, Jalil, Kevin, and Lori) signed on. Initially, we were

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-1171283410786617902007-02-13T01:05:00.000+13:002007-02-13T01:41:12.786+13:00

Went to the Vodafone X-Air extreme sports games over the weekend. Saw some pretty cool stuff... mini motorcycles jumping ramps, breakdancing peeps (and kids), bmx trick competitions with ramps, and the reggae group The Black Seeds. With the sun shining and not too hot of weather, it was an all in all good time!The BMX tricks competition was the most interesting. Got to see some crazy, insane

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-1170670050578367822007-02-05T22:21:00.001+13:002007-02-05T23:07:30.580+13:00

Internet is finally up at my new flat! I've uploaded a bunch of pics from the past few weeks. Go and have a look-see.

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-1170104433917923082007-01-30T09:48:00.000+13:002007-01-30T10:06:20.090+13:00

Hey everybody...no, I still don't have internet at my new apartment, so I'll have to write something up for you all here at work. Luckily, my friend Kevin posted some pictures of our previous adventures, and I'll talk about them and link you to his gallery for now. Anyways, here goes:Comet McNaught (was it discovered by a Scotsman? I don't know). The night was stunning, the sunset was

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-1169678385376381462007-01-25T11:37:00.000+13:002007-01-25T11:39:45.383+13:00

Sorry I've been Missing In Action for the past week. A lot has happened since we've last spoke and I've just been too busy to keep up with it all. I am at work right now so I don't have much time to tell you all about it, but here's a little preview of blog posts to come!1. petec's arrival from R&H2. comet mcnaught (saw it!)3. thundercat speedboat race4. new apartment (no internet yet, d'oh!)

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-1169091610164908182007-01-18T16:38:00.000+13:002007-01-18T16:40:58.743+13:00

Hahaha, one of my co-workers named Simon Jung uploaded this photo the photography mailing list at work today. Sorry, just had to share it with you all. Have a good day!

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-1168808440147968922007-01-15T09:47:00.000+13:002007-01-15T10:00:40.600+13:00

Yesterday was I think the true start of my adventures here in New Zealand. My co-workers and I bought some rad snorkeling gear on Saturday at a local dive shop. It was a good thing we went in a group so we got a 20% discount on our items! I got some fins (for my feet), gloves, a snorkel, a mask, booties (I guess that's what they call the boots that you put on to go into the fins), and an inner

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-1168334343060329902007-01-09T22:02:00.000+13:002007-01-09T22:27:44.466+13:00

Real Ultimate Ninjas, you ask? Why, no! Ultimate Frisbee! When I first arrived in Wellington in November of '06, my co-worker Kevin and I went to check out a flat over in Seatoun, owned by a very nice fellow co-worker at Weta. It was a pretty windy day (nigh uncommon in these waters), but I upon gazing at Seatoun (a suburb in Wellington, pronounced "C-TOON") from his deck, I spotted a

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-1167967707362419532007-01-05T16:19:00.000+13:002007-01-07T18:54:04.893+13:00

Hey folks, I'm back in NZ. Hope everyone had a great holiday! It was funny when I told my friends that I was "on holiday"...The kiwi/brit-isms are already taking over my mind!Anyways, here's a recap of some things that happened last year before I went "on holiday":Saw our co-worker Merlin (animator) perform in a funk band at Cabaret in Wellington. It was free admission and his band was totally

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-1166439087708639462006-12-18T23:13:00.000+13:002007-01-07T18:54:55.233+13:00

What the heck, you ask? Yes, a whole orchestra of ukuleles and one bass. There was a holiday concert at the San Fran Bathhouse on Cuba Street last Thursday night. 'ere we go:"Dream a Little Dream of Me""Take On Me"...(complete with dancing reindeer man...scary)"Hey Ya"At one point a terribly drunk Santa Claus got up on the stage and tried to jump into the audience. Luckily I was farther back

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-1166434171652499562006-12-18T21:56:00.000+13:002007-01-07T18:55:40.786+13:00

Sorry for the random geeky title for this post, which has everything to do with miscellaney and nothing to do with falcons, except for maybe the sky in the pictures you'll see below.Jalil, Kevin and I decided to have lunch outside on the little hill behind our animation building at Wexford. It was quite a windy day, but the view from up there was gorgeous. This is a sample of what we saw:It was

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-1165825275766614842006-12-11T21:14:00.000+13:002007-01-07T18:55:20.243+13:00

Quick little post here before I'm off to play world cup soccer on Jalil's xbox 360...Last Thursday was the Weta Digital Holiday Party, which was a blast. Got some yummy skewered chicken with yogurt dip, some biscottis deliciosos, and, my personal highlight of the night, little chinese takeout boxes filled with fish and chips and one-hand-squeezable packs of tartar sauce, YUM! ...took some pics

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-1165311733393617782006-12-05T22:09:00.000+13:002006-12-05T22:43:24.376+13:00

This weekend was fun, went to the botanical gardens for a bit, in the hopes of having a nice Saturday pancake brunch, but when we arrived, it turned out to be a bakery with no menu. So, we just snapped some photos of beautiful flowers and went off on our merry way to our backup plan, which was the famous "Chocolate Fish Cafe". Luckily, we took the scenic route there on our drive and I snapped

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-1165270853836105012006-12-05T11:16:00.000+13:002006-12-05T11:56:33.776+13:00

Wow, I just learned that we kicked major arse on Saturday*. UCLA beat USC at football. Kickass!!! It's funny because on Sunday over here I went to a coworker's bbq and I was wearing my UCLA bruins cap to shield me from the harsh sunlight (in fact, there is a hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica and parts of New Zealand during certain periods of the year - as the Earth rotates, the ozone

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-1164973102617112902006-12-02T00:13:00.000+13:002006-12-02T00:49:53.906+13:00

Funny how some movies come out here in NZ before they do in the States... It's rare, but like tonight, it's bleepin' amazing.I just saw easily the best film of the year.It's a flick called "Children of Men." I know Nattida, you told me about this movie preview a long time ago.. remember when out of the blue I guessed the main actor - Clive Owen! He did an amazing job in this film. Probably his

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-1164882854071505992006-11-30T23:28:00.000+13:002006-11-30T23:34:14.073+13:00

And finally I will leave you on this last night of November with one more photo set of stunning views and even a pic of me! Don't worry I have tons more pictures to upload just sitting on my computer. In due time my, friends.crazy views and kong boat

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-1164882169065846352006-11-30T23:10:00.000+13:002006-11-30T23:22:49.073+13:00

Here's some more pics in case the last one wasn't enough to satiate your bottomless pits of hunger:This group was taken on a really nice day in Wellington (pretty rare about a month ago when I arrived).2nd or 3rd Day in New Zealand

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-1164881395641818212006-11-30T23:03:00.000+13:002006-11-30T23:09:55.666+13:00

Hey everyone, I just hooked up the wireless router in my flat - it's pretty awesome!Anyways, let's go back in time one month shall we? Some pictures of the first day of my arrival in NZ:Arrival in New Zealand

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-1164330587607708982006-11-24T14:01:00.000+13:002006-11-24T14:09:47.643+13:00

I got my reental cah t'day and my beed was deleevehd from DTR (the furniture hiring company)!The beed was brand new, direct from the manufacturer (Sealy!). It's wicked! The cah could be beettah, but no worries, they seead they could replace it once they get a beettah one een stock! Eet's a beet old ay! But it drives fine and I reckon I can get from work to home and back no problem.Sweet As!!

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-1164012321074461452006-11-20T21:37:00.000+13:002006-11-20T21:45:21.083+13:00

2 nice days in a row! WOW. It was sunny for the past two days in a row! I took some nice pictures over by this waterfall and creek. I'll have to post them right when I move into my new apt that has internet. Which will be soon. I promise (I hope).But yeah, the sun shining was great. The views from the road were stunning. Everything was perfect. Except for moving out of the Duxton hotel

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-1163473152097578752006-11-14T15:58:00.000+13:002006-11-15T11:13:59.380+13:00

Sadly, I've only one week left in the 5-star hotel called the "Duxton" and I am still looking at flats to live in (which is why I haven't uploaded any pics yet - no flat, no personal internet, sorry!). I'm also still looking for a car - I stopped counting the skyline GTRs driving around here after I saw 10 - they are everywhere over here!Good news is I got my phone situation sorted. My old sony

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-1163125397396001082006-11-10T15:14:00.000+13:002006-11-10T15:39:45.816+13:00

Hey dudes and dudettes. I still have not acquired an internet connection outside of work and I'm not allowed to plug my laptop in here at work, so I'll just talk (type) for now (patience for pictures...).Things are cool... I just bought a vodafone simcard down here for $35 nzd at lunch and I'm having my phone unlocked at a taiwanese store at the moment (fun just like LA!). Once that's done

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36155312.post-1162958711829154802006-11-08T17:03:00.000+13:002006-11-08T18:52:35.206+13:00

WELLINGTON, NZ - Well, I've made it to the land of kiwis and I've been pretty busy looking for a flat to live in and getting settled into work. Once I get my own internet connection at home I can post pictures (and yes I have been taking them).The flight from Los Angeles to NZ was pretty horrendous. It was delayed for 4 hours because the pilot got food poisoning and they had to fly in a

derrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064943467941992437noreply@blogger.com4