a long, long overdue post...

well it's been 2 months since I last posted, due to a lack of internet access, and lack of things to post about due to the severe lack of exercise I've been doing (blamed upon the loss of my ipod charging cable - this may seem a piss poor excuse but quite frankly, running without music is next to impossible).


However the ipod is back up and running, so I guess I should be too. In fact, I have got a jog or two in this week - sleeping in and needing to walk to work in 10 minutes necessitated this.

So this is a quick post, just to let you know that the blog is still alive. I, however, might not be, the day after tomorrow as a friend and I have decided to summit Mt Ngahuahoe. Those familiar with this mountain (aka Lord of the Ring's Mount Doom) will appreciate that this climb involves a slight incline - or perhaps more accurately described as at least 3 hours of constant torturous ascent, hauling my overweight and unfit self up a 45 degree slope of loose scree.

I'll post an update afterwards if I survive.

On the money front, I finally started to put away a few pennies (namely by avoiding trips to my favourite irish bars). The savings account now holds $5000 and I have just under 6 months until I leave the country, so I'll be sticking to a budget tighter that a pair of jeans after christmas dinner to save the remaining 6 grand or more.

Check out the "hill" we're climbing on Wednesday - taken last summer when we missed this summit but did the Tongariro Crossing (the best tramp I have ever done! Highly recommended - though if anyone from those parts reads this; a cold beer or icecream would've gone down a treat at the end of the track).