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Road Trip: New Zealand - Great Blend, Wellington

Just finished presenting at The Overseas Terminal Function Centre in Wellington at the Karajoz Great Blend event. Totally enjoyed sharing with my first non-Singaporean crowd.

Hosted by Russell Brown from NZ's coolest blog, Public Address, Great Blend is a cool event combining information, debate, networking and entertainment.

I was also on the panel discussion with former head of interactive at the BBC, Dr William Cooper, TVNZ’s Tom Cotter, Radio New Zealand’s Mark Cubey, and Claire O'Leary who is the strategic analyst at NZ On Air.

There will be another Great Blend on the 1st of September, in Auckland, 6pm at the Dalmatian Society ballroom, 10-14 New North Road.

After the discussion on digtital issues, we were entertained by the band, the L.E.D.'s from Christchurch, and drank lots of coffee from Karajoz, beer from Monteith's, and wine from Hatton Estate. The event is also backed by TVNZ and the British Council.

I'd like to specially thank the Asia:NZ Foundation for generously making it possible for Ryan and me to be at these two events.

The Auckland Great Blend on the 1st of September will feature TVNZ's Head of Emerging Business, Jason Paris, digital content chief Eric Kearley, Dr Cooper, Clare, and Nat Torkington of O'Reilly Media.

I have to say I am addicted to Karajoz coffee now. New Zealand coffee rules (an Aucklander told me, no, you mean, Auckland coffee rules! Oooooh, I smell war).

I weaned myself off coffee since the days I worked late shifts in Borders, but I find myself unable to stop drinking the stuff here in New Zealand. Damn you, Karajoz, for making me addicted again!

By the way, aside from the interview I had (and thoroughly enjoyed) with Nine to Noon's Kathryn Ryan, I also had a great chat with Simon Pound of 95bfm on his Sunday Breakfast show. You can listen to it on the 95bfm site, in two parts. Scroll the photo of the Chinese guy in an afro.

Road Trip: New Zealand Day 13

The day started with mist around Lake Taupo. It cleared up somewhat as we drove towards Mount Ruapehu.

Three and a half hours later, we arrive at Whakapapa ski field. The car park is quite full despite this being a weekday and not school holidays yet.

Ryan and I are dressed in extra layers of clothing and even don woolly gloves we bought the night before at the supermarket, But we forgot warm headgear and had to endure some pretty numb ears by the time we left the mountain. It was already cold enough as it was, but the drizzling made it even colder.

Clueless newbie skiers that we were, we stumbled from rental counter to rental counter, getting our gear and trying to walk in the ski boots. A friendly member of the staff, a young man, approached us to see if we needed help, and said, "Ni hao!"

I Nihao-ed him back and he asked me where we were from. Singapore, I said, and we speak English. "Fluently?" he asked. Yes, it is my first language, I replied.

He did not seem convinced.

We managed to get our gear sorted out in the end. We didn't realise there were so many pieces needed. Waterproof pants, check. Ski boots, check. Skis, check. Poles, check.

Then the lesson began as Hugh, our instructor taught us how to ski, turn and stop. I was particularly good at falling down.

Loss of indignity dignity, check. (tired lah, after driving all day)

The sun came up in the middle of our lesson and made the mountain beautiful. Then the snow came. More like hail. Tiny little balls of ice hitting our faces. Pain, man!

We stopped skiing after the rain made visibility poor. It was time for our drive to Wellington anyway.

We drove past Tongariro National Park on the way to Highway 1. And it just blows the mind how big the park is. Looking at the map, I reckon it is bigger than Singapore, and our drive to Mount Ruapehu and towards Wellington took us around it.

We reached Welly after driving about 3-plus hours from Whakapapa, Mount Ruapehu. Ryan and I took turns to drive and exhanged hours of silly banter. Laughing at each other's silly jokes made the drive shorter and helped to keep us awake. It was around 7.30pm and when we tried to look for food around our hotel, most of the shops were closed.

We grabbed a quick bite at the Subway nearby and went back to the hotel to get online, only to discover how quickly we can use up the generous and massive 50mb of data transfers the NZD33-a-day hotel broadband gave us. 50mb leh!

Shops closed, no internet. Good thing there was a movie about Johnny Cash on Sky Movies.

And I think I have a sprained neck from all that falling down in the snow. No breakdancing for me for a while.

New Zealand, get with the broadband program already

Let me just state for the record that internet in New Zealand sucks eggs.

For broadband internet in my hotel, I am given 50mb for a 24-hour period which costs about NZD33 a day.

50. Megabytes.

I say again.

50. Bloody. Megabytes.

I used it up in less than an hour. And I will be charged $0.10 per mb after that limit is used up.

I also see ads in NZ papers advertising 1-gigabyte-per-month broadband plans (and how many millions of emails you can get with that great plan).

I don't think people in New Zealand watch much Youtube then, if many of them are on that plan. Or use any broadband-heavy services, for that matter.

Ah, but can get millions of text emails.

Ever heard of unlimited broadband for a fixed price, ISPs of New Zealand?

Ok, rant over. Back to loving the rest of New Zealand.

Police: outdoor gatherings by political parties in open areas potentially dangerous

The Workers' Party recently tried to organise a mass cycling event at East Coast Park to celebrate their 50th anniversary but their permit was not granted because public places are "not meant to be used by a political party to promote its cause" and also because "outdoor gatherings by parties have the potential to cause a public disturbance".

When asked by Workers' Party MP Low Thia Khiang why political events in public places were deemed to cause disturbances, Senior Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs, Prof Ho Peng Kee told him, "You may be well-behaving, but there may be other people whom you come across when you cycle who may stop you, may want to debate with you and that may attract a crowd, and therefore will result in problems the police want to avoid."

As a cyclist, I totally support Dr Ho Peng Kee's point. I absolutely hate those people who stop me when I am cycling to engage in political debate. It totally throws off my cycling rhythm and cadence.

This is unlike cycling events organised by the government. There are no potential public disturbances there because people would never think of stopping cycling politicians from the ruling party to argue politics with them.

But my favourite quote from the exchange has to be Prof Ho's witty retort to Mr Low's question:

"If you listened very carefully Mr Low, I don’t know whether his hearing aid is with him because he wears one, I said there is a greater potential for law and order problems." [emphasis mine]

Classy, Prof Ho, very classy.

-------

News article from Straits Times:
Aug 28, 2007
JEREMY AU YONG

Outdoor events by political parties banned

A PERMIT application by the Workers' Party (WP) to hold a cycling event for its 50th anniversary was rejected because political parties are banned from organising outdoor activities.

This is a longstanding position, as outdoor gatherings by parties have the potential to cause a public disturbance, said Senior Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs Ho Peng Kee yesterday.

He was responding to Non-Constituency MP Sylvia Lim, who wanted to know why the WP could not get a police permit for a mass cycling event at East Coast Park.

Said Associate Professor Ho: 'The East Coast Park is a recreational park for Singaporeans and their families. It is not meant to be used by a political party to promote its cause.

Road Trip: New Zealand Day 12

We began our journey southward towards Wellington this morning in Auckland, driving to Rotorua first, and stopping over in Taupo for the night.

It took us about three and a half hours to get to Rotorua, where we broke for lunch at Fat Dog's and then wandered around the town to see some of the sights, like Lake Rotorua, the eruption site at Kurau Park and the Polynesian Spa.

Rotorua smells of sulphur. It is due to the geothermal and volcanic activity around the area. You see steam coming out of various places, and you constantly feel like someone farted and did not admit it.

The drive to Rotorua was not as grueling as the northbound one to Paihia, Bay of Islands, as the roads were generally better. You could do 100kmh most of the time, and there aren't as many small, winding, mountain roads that is so common on the road to Bay of Islands.

We got a chance to try the hot pools at the Polynesian Spa, which offers all kinds of spa therapies, massages and treatments. We chose to try the hot pools, which are supposed to be good for aches and pains. You get to soak in a soft alkaline water which comes from a deep, boiling spring nearby, and the water temperature is between 33C to 43C. Our private deluxe pool cost NZD20 per person (minimum two persons) for 30 minutes, and it comes with its own shower and changing area. Towels cost NZD4 to rent.

Why deluxe? Because you get a view of the lake and you can see birds flying and making noise around you. It was quite pleasant but we kept wondering if we were going to get bombed by passing birds. Because it is now winter, and it was drizzling all day, the air was really cold and we had to change very fast and get into the hot pool before our nuts froze.

Once inside the water, you do feel very relaxed. If you prefer, you can also go the public pools area which costs NZD17 with no time limit. Ryan and I felt a little awkward, two guys asking for the private pool. But we actually chose it because we were not going to stay long and it was NZD3 more only.

After a quick shower and change, we jumped back to the car and drove towards Taupo. We did swing by Lake Rotorua for a look, but we did not get out of the car because suddenly, we found ourselves surrounded by mosquitoes by the bank of the lake. We could see them pounding away at our windscreen, excited at the prospect of two full-blooded blokes. They must have been thinking, "Singaporeans! It's dinner time, boys! Imported blood too!"

We pulled into Taupo in the late afternoon. Lake Taupo is one of the landmarks here, and it is slightly larger than Singapore. If you fit the whole population of New Zealand in the space occupied by this lake, you will get Singapore.

We checked into Go Global Central Backpackers, a place that offered beds, dorms and rooms. It was not fancy but the small double room we got was clean, affordable, and had an attached bathroom. And the people running it, friendly.

You have to get used to little things in accommodations like this. For one, our sink was located in the room itself, not the bathroom. There is no TV here (but with the state of New Zealand free-to-air TV, we were not missing much) but you can watch it in the common room. There is a shared kitchen and also a little computer room with four PCs for internet. Which is where I am typing this. It costs NZD5 for an hour of internet, and NZD1 to rent a towel. Needless to say, I am not able to do any fancy internet uploading but I am happy to be able to do basic stuff like hook up my N95 to transfer photos, check emails, and to blog.

Opposite our backpackers' hostel is a more sophisticated internet cafe that opens till 7.30pm. It costs about the same but they have more computers. The sign on the door says Wireless is coming, so maybe next time you swing by here, you can use your own laptop.

We had a quick bite at KFC nearby. You can tell Taupo is a swanky little town because they have a shopping centre with the word "Plaza" in its name, and all the major fastfood joints like McD's, Subway, Pizza Hut and KFC.

Ryan is fast asleep at the moment, and it is only early evening. We are both a little bushed from the road trip today. We have another day of driving tomorrow, which will take us to Wellington.

Road Trip: New Zealand Day 10

It's Saturday and Ryan and I had a home-cooked homemade sashimi lunch at the bach of Charles' friend, Tony, at Matakana.

A bach, pronounced "batch", is a New Zealand holiday home or beach house.

Matakana is an hour's drive north of Auckland, and looks like a cowboy town. It has been compared to Hunter Valley in Australia, because many wealthy people live here or have weekend homes here.

There are many lodges and B&B's here you can stay in, and the view is spectacular. There is also a golf course near by.

The bach we had lunch at overlooks the Omaha Beach and Tawharanui forest reserve and marine park. The weather has been sunny and temperate today in Matakana. It's the first time I've not worn a sweater in New Zealand.

We came in the morning to visit the Matakana Village Farmers' Market which operates on Saturday till 1pm. It's a great little market that sells fresh produce, wines, coffee, hand-made beers, extra virgin olive oils, mustards, cookies, and chocolates. There is even a famous Irish knife sharpener there.

It's a lovely way to spend a Saturday, especially when you have the company of great new friends.

The only way you can get this kind of view, is perhaps if you lived in Bukit Timah Forest Reserve.

After a lunch of fresh salmon and tuna bought from Auckland Fish Market in the morning (prepared by Tony and "Great Sushi Chef" Charles), we visited Tawharanui Marine Park, which has a great beach and popular campground. For some reason, there were a whole bunch of Asians fishing along the beach. Maybe they knew something about the waters we did not.

The road to Tawharanui is pretty undeveloped, and it is probably to keep the place from being swamped by tour buses. Still, I am told 5000 people visit this place on weekends, to enjoy the beach and the forest reserve.

There have been kiwis (the birds, not New Zealanders) released into this reserve, which has a predator-proof fence set up to keep out predators so that the kiwis can thrive. So when we drove into the park, there was even an auto gate, that kept predators off the grounds.

As we drove back to the bach, there was a lovely sunset of brilliant reds and oranges in the sky. Ryan and I looked at the trees and bush spanning the 10-acre bach and Ryan turned to me and said, "You know, that bush over there looks like a great place to play Paintball. Stick a flag in the centre of that forest, and we could play Counterstrike Live."

That would rock, yeah. All we need now is a million bucks to buy us some Matakana land, and we'll have our own private Paintball playground cum forest reserve.

See What Show (video): Ratatouille Special Report 2

The second of our See What Show video special reports on Ratatouille, taken in Paris.

I spoke to director Brad Bird in Paris about the latest Pixar/Disney movie, Ratatouille.

For the high-res version of the video, you may wish to go to See What Show.

Watch out for more See What Show Ratatouille updates at seewhatshow.com.

the mrbrown show: reading the news from Auckland

Who says we are not informed about news back home? Ryan and I pore over the news at mrbrownshow.com!

the mrbrown show: annuity schemes

Get the lowdown on annuities for retirement that the gahmen wants you to buy, at mrbrownshow.com!

the mrbrown show: bureaucracy

You need permission for reincarnation in some countries, find out where at mrbrownshow.com!

the mrbrown show: citizen’s day

mrbrownshow.com celebrates Citizen's Day our way.

the mrbrown show: 237 reasons

Someone did a survey and said there are 237 reasons why people have sex! We only need 10 on mrbrownshow.com!

the mrbrown show: how to name an organization

Association names are important! Especially for ASEAN groups. Attend the meeting at mrbrownshow.com!

See What Show: Bourne Ultimatum, Once Upon a Time in the West and Vacancy

We review The Bourne Ultimatum, Once Upon a Time in the West (DVD) and Vacancy on See What Show.

I am on National Radio in New Zealand!

Update 2: Listen to the podcast of the interview on Kathryn Ryan's Nine to Noon show here:

Click the show entitled "Feature Guest - Lee Kin Mun" from the Nine to Noon page.

OR get the podcast MP3 directly here: MP3 link

Update 1: Ok, finished liao. Learned new thing today. Cannot say "Taking the piss" on radio here. I enjoyed myself very much. Always nice when you get asked good questions.


I'm going live in a few minutes with Kathryn Ryan for a chat on-air on 101.4FM in Auckland and 101.3FM in Wellington. After the 10am news. New Zealand live radio! Should be fun!

Road Trip: New Zealand Day 5

The Bananas conference is over, and you can read some of the reports from speakers like Jack Yan and from nzmuso.spaces.live.com.

I really enjoyed sharing some of the podcasts and videos from the show. You know, it's strange, but although it's been a year since we aired the I am Singaporean podcasts, sharing Ginny's episode, and hearing my wife's voice ringing through the Fisher & Paykel Appliances Auditorium, still chokes me up.

It always feels warm to meet new friends on our travels. Maylene and Chris took us out to dinner after the Bananas conference, at a Chinese restaurant called China Restaurant. A bit literal, the shop names here. Haha! There was also a multi-storey car-park near Viaduct Basin called The Carpark.

China Restaurant is located behind the Foodtown, the 24-hour supermarket we ran in the rain to buy groceries from, on our first night here. Maybe it is because there are many Chinese here, but Ryan and I have yet to eat any Chinese food that is not good, and China continued that record.

We got up a little late today. Eh, Uncle woke up at 7.00am to be at the breakfast session at the conference on Sunday, ok? Though it was really worth it, because I met so many friends that morning, like Lee Hoi, Maylene, and Graeme. And coffee was from Karajoz, which is damn good, man! I had two cups, and I don't even drink coffee usually.

Our Monday morning breakfast was at the hotel, but we added the NZD5 for the full breakfast (means "got meat" Continental breakfast means "hardly any meat" or "Bread and cornflakes only"). Then we hooked up with another new friend, Charles Chow, who brought us all around Auckland, showing us the best views and sights, like Mission Bay, the Railway Station, and Michael Joseph Savage Memorial.

We also went to Auckland Fish Market. You can get very fresh fish at very decent prices here. For around NZD60, you can buy enough fresh fish for a sashimi party for six!

We had our lunch at a cafe at the corner of the Auckland Fish Market, tucking in to a lovely Penang fish curry, grilled fish, and fish kebabs in satay sauce. The Penang fish curry was authentic and we found out why. The chef, Ricky, is from Penang, Malaysia.

We asked the affable Ricky how he decided what went up to the Specials board, and he said, "In the morning, when I wake up, I think of what I feel like eating that day, and then cook that. I felt like Penang fish curry, and so I made that."

Sounds like a good method to me.

He has a Japanese chef who specially comes in to prepare the sashimi too. And a Russian chef too. And he encourages his team to do their own specialties, to keep the menu new. He has had ambassadors and ministers for customers at his fine cafe, which serves really fresh and tasty fish dishes at decent prices.

Charles also took us for coffee at Pyrénées French Charcuterie and Epicerie at 5 McColl Street, Newmarket. It is a little French cafe, in the midst of low-rise offices, and on the second floor, you can buy wine from Maison Vauron Wine Merchants. We chatted with his friends, Bong and Mark (thanks for buying, Bong!) and admired the wines on the second floor. You can have dinner and wine at the long tables there too. Very cozy.

We had dinner with Lincoln and his family at Dominion Road. Here, you can find affordable and great food even late at night. Our dinner place was Sapor, where they serve zhi-char style food for much lower prices than downtown. A big bowl of hot and soup soup costs only NZD5, and the four-combination on rice, only NZD7.50. Four combination means you choose four different meats, like char siew, roast duck, or siew yoke, to go with your rice. Very value for money.

After a little stop at Mount Eden to see Auckland at night time (you can see the silly video at mrbrownshow.com), we retired to the hotel.

We heard there is a "Boobs on Bikes" parade event coming up on Wednesday, so maybe we'll pop down to see what the cold winter air does to their, er, visors and helmets. Apparently, it is not illegal to ride a motorbike topless in NZ, so this parade can happen. You can also drive and use your mobile phone here. Topless and mobile phones, so relaxed, the traffic laws here.

I have a live radio interview on Radio New Zealand National that morning, so Ryan may have to attend the parade alone. I am sure he won't mind.

Ministers deep in thought at PM's National Day Rally

As you can see, PM's National Day Rally was very thought-provoking. So much so that many had to close their eyes and think very hard about it. Very very hard.

Via vr-zone forums.

Singapore police stops dangerous joggers from engaging in law-breaking activities

Singapore has no more crime. That is the why the authorities are so free to send so many police officers to Singapore River, to catch joggers jogging in pink and organising a scavenger hunt without a permit.

I understand from reading Alex "Yawning Bread" Au's blog that originally, the run was supposed to take place at Botanic Gardens, which NParks did not allow. But it looks like Singapore River also cannot leh.

Who ask them to wear their running shorts so tight and short (the joggers, not the cops)? Must be because of that lah! It is unlawful!

So please ok? Don't say the cops are jiak bah boh sai pang or that they have nothing better to do. Pink joggers and their friends are very dangerous to society! If you see any more of these joggers or scavenger hunters, call the authorities. Keep our streets safe!

Mr Wang has more to say about this shocking case.

(Photo from Yawning Bread)

Road Trip: New Zealand Day 2

Ryan and I are settling down in Auckland and getting used to the weather. We touched down on Thursday night, and got a ride to the hotel from a member of the Bananas NZ committee, Ye Miao. Good thing we didn't rent a car at the airport.

NZ seems to be full of second-hand cars from Singapore. In the end, We rented a 2.2-litre Camry at a rental place downtown, and it turned out to be more powerful than the 3.5-litre American Chevy we drove in San Francisco. Good, we are planning quite a bit of driving.

On the night we landed, Ryan and I decided to go out to look for food at midnight, and we walked to the 24-hour supermarket Foodtown from our Copthorne Hotel near the University of Auckland. Bad idea. It was raining buckets and we both ended up drenched. Should have stayed in and ordered room service but you know lah, want to save money.

It is very rainy in Auckland now, and cold. We are getting used to the weather but Ryan finds it too cold to even smoke at the balcony sometimes.

Since we had some time on Friday before the conference, we wandered around Auckland a little and explored Viaduct Basin. We ate at a food court downtown and dammit, NZD9.90 for "Malaysian" laksa and NZD8.90 for some noodles with 3 selections. Even MacDonald's was NZD8 for a BIg Mac meal.

The biggest bugbear is the cost of internet here. It costs $0.78 a minute or NZD33 plus a 24-hour day for internet in the room. And I think Skype is blocked. Ouch. Even internet cafes charge NZD1 per 20-minute blocks, and the one we used had a Korean operating system. We ended up using pfingo on our phones to call home (which were getting the wifi from the Airport Express hooked up to the room's ethernet line).

At night, we popped over to SkyCity, which you can see from the photo. The tower is very tall, and you can bungie jump from there for NZD195. Or if that is not your cup of tea, you can also blow all your cash at the casino there. No, they don't call it an Integrated Resort here.

Ironically, we got some very decent noodles at The Noodle Bar inside the casino. And at decent prices too (NZD7.50 for a bowl). Ryan had the Beef Brisket noodles and I had the Soy Sauce chicken rice. You have to validate your parking ticket to enjoy the discounted NZD5 rate or you will end up paying NZD24 for a few hours of parking.

Needless to say, it is a crowded place, and there are many punters there. We stood at the NZD5 blackjack table and watched the dealer clean up, with a few rounds of really good hands. There are 1 cent, 2 cents and 5 cents jackpot machines here, but trust me, they will chew through your cash just as quickly. Don't think that just because you are playing the 2-cents machine, you will last longer.

At night, from our room, we heard the roars of New Zealand Ah Bengs revving their souped up cars nearby. Even in Auckland, Ah Bengs and their zhnged Japanese cars make their presence felt.

Now to call the kids and the wife on the phone. It is always fun to hear their voices when I am away.

Road Trip: Going Bananas in New Zealand!

Ryan and I will soon be on our way to Auckland, New Zealand. We are there to attend two major events, Bananas NZ: Going Global conference and two Great Blends events.

You can read Russell's interview with me at The Listener.

We will also be joining Russell at The Great Blend event, in Wellington on Thursday August 30th, and in Auckland on Saturday Sept 1st.

The Great Blend is a free event for Public Access readers, which always includes debate (often about new media issues), video and musical performance. The wine is cheap and the vibe is relaxed. Past guests have included Ashley Highfield from the BBC, US social networks expert Danah Boyd and Chris Di Bona from Google.

Listen to Russell's interview with Wong Liu Sheung, one of the organisers of this weekend's Bananas NZ: Going Global conference.

You can also read Tze Ming's speech from the 2005 Bananas conference (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Banana: the Conference).

We will keep you guys updated of our travels here and at mrbrownshow.com. Stay tuned!