My girlfriend and i spent the last week in Puerto Rico and more specifically in Isla Verde, smack bang in between Fajardo and Old San jUan. Day 1 was spent flying from Laguardia (with a 1hr delay and a $400 compensation) into Charlotte. Planes are always boring but this time i had a brand new DS game to keep me company. After 5 hrs and 2 planes we arrived to 30 deg heat at 6pm with the sunsetting. A short trip from the airport and we were already at our hotel. This place was amazing, king size bed, waterfront view, massive room, so far so good. Day 1 (Valentines Day) ended with a nice dinner in the hotel restaurant with some drinks.

Day 2 was sitting on the beach and getting burnt, we would later discover that day 2 was very similar to all the other days. By day 4 i was literally a lobster with small claws and a different outlook on life.

One day was spent in old san juan which had a similar feel to Valetta in Malta, but more spanish influenced. We saw an old Fort/Castle where the puerto ricons went to war with the…. spanish?? i wasnt really listening.

The friday was probably the best day, it included a day cruise to Calebra a local island and a visit to the number 3 beach in the world flamenco beach. Crystal clear water and white sand, photos can not do this place justice. Overall it was an amazing trip and i never thought i would be sad to return to New York. I forgot just how much i love travelling, even the parts you think you hate like boarding a plane and checking in luggage, its all an adventure outside the normal 9-5 norm.

Some things i learnt from my time in Puerto Rico.
- My spanish is ridiculously rusty. its embarrassing ‘tabla de boogie’
- If you go to Puerto rico you must rent a car!
- Only stay on the island Calebra and Viques not in san juan
- Dont eat Mofungo…. its plantanes in spanish and taste lame

Where to next?? Toronto, Sydney, Thailand…….

So whats happened since my last entry.. alot to say the least

The new year has started and im already back to my old ways and doing what i enjoy most…. traveling! Have planned a trip to Puerto Rico from Feb 11th to feb 17th, i absolutely cant wait!! i really think its going to be an experience. Last time i went traveling feels like a lifetime ago, so this is well over due. My girlfriend and i have to do some shopping first, shorts, glasses, flip flops, all the beach essentials. We are staying in San Juan which is the capital, in this resort which looks insanely nice! Click Here

Planning to do some snorkelling, go on hikes, drink cocktails and mainly just sit around on the beach trying to get a tan. Ive only been working a few weeks but i cant wait to take a break away from everything… life is tough hahaha!

I finally got around to signing up for soccer, proving to myself just how unfit i am. Im playing for a team called the royalists. We’re made of 3 girls, 2 new zealanders, some Americans and me. So far we have had a mixed season, 2 games, 1 win by 15 goals, 1 loss by 15 goals… great consistency!

Next weekend is my Girlfriends record release, the most anticipated albulm of all time. Looking forward to seeing them play live again. Tonight she is playing with her other band, which im going to check out.

This weekend is Tonight some drinks and watching her band, tomorrow walking around shopping for summer beach stuff and Sunday going snowboarding to Hunter Mountain. The first time ive been snowboarding since 2002! should be an experience to say the least ahaah!

till next time

• Leaving London and thinking i was going back in a month or so with a new visa… FAIL
• Saving some money to go travelling around South America – FAIL
• Visiting New York for the first time ever and enjoying it – WIN
• Moving to New York a month later and fulfilling a life long dream of living and working in NY – WIN
• Have an amazing girlfriend who im enjoying life with – WIN

Last night we brought in the new year in a low key event in the west village. One of my Girlfriends friends.. mum, hosted a party at her house. Great house, great people. Ended up having a great night and was back in bed drunk again by 1:30am with another slice of pizza in my belly.

Looking forward to this new year as 2009 probably wasnt my favorite for a whole bunch of different reasons. 2009 consisted of living in 3 countries, a failed visa, the highest bank account ive ever had and a new girlfriend. 2010 ‘resolutions’ are below.. dont really believe in new years resolution but here are some things i would like to achieve in 2010

• Learn an instrument (keyboard)
• Play indoor soccer (signed up)
• Play tennis once a week
• consistently bowl over a 150 against my girlfriend
• Get a raise at work
• Get my e3 visa and stay in New York for another 2 years

if i can achieve all of those things by Dec 31st 2010… i will be very very happy!!

I got some great presents this year including a Fuji instax camera. OMG this thing rox, instant cameras have always been on the wish list. But this year, with a highly attentive girlfriend, my wish came true. The camera spits out widescreen prints instantly and its insanely good.  Has given me a great excuse to cover my wall with polaroid style memories.

We ate ham and i drank egg nog and brandy, all that was left was a cheesy sweater and i swear i would have been the guy from National Lampoons xmas vacation. All in all, it was an amazing xmas with my girlfriend. Although i missed my family again this year, i couldnt have asked for a better substitute. I think no matter next year i will be back in Australia.. i miss the sunshine!!!

Some of my pics from xmas are here!

Finally finished all my xmas shopping. Sending my parents a present early next week so should miss xmas by a few days, one of the downsides of being un-organised and on the other side of the world. The plan was to go to DC over the xmas break but we think we might hold off on that idea until its get a little warmer and the parties are in session. A trip to DC and not end up seeing political sights seems a little weak.

Not really much else to update, looking forward to xmas next week and my 10 day break! Waiting patiently for my gf’s present which she assures me is the BEST THING EVER! not that xmas is about presents…. pfft ok who are we kidding we all know it is.

Last year’s Xmas was probably not in my top 26 of all time, but i suppose it was fun because it was still the time of giving. Im prediciting this year’s will be much better. The plan is to spend xmas at my house and for me to introduce my girlfriend to and Austrlian/Argentinian style xmas, and her to once again introduce me to an American style xmas.

Things i still have to do before Xmas day
- Go ice skating at Bryant park
- Visit the tree at Rockefeller Center

- Buy some more presents for my Brother and my GF
- Realise that some people i know are Jewish and to stop saying merry xmas to everyone
- Get recipes for xmas feast
- Buy a tree and decorations

After xmas we will be taking a trip to DC and seeing all the touristy stuff down there. My Girlfriends sister is kindly lending us their house for a few days which is ridiculously generous. It will be fun to leave New York for a while and visit something different.

Just came back from my first google lunch encounter. SERIOUSLY!!! they have the best working conditions i have ever seen. A fully stocked cafeteria with fine cuisine everyday just for working there. Its insane.

ok back to work

Celebrating Thanksgiving fort he first time was a great experience and yet another insight into the excessive American culture… which i secretly love. The amount of food consumed or attempted to be consumed by my girlfriend and i was just plain ridiculous. Photos of the day can be found here.

The Menu for the day consisted of
- 7 pound turkey
- Candied Yams
- Mash Potato
- Biscuits
- Green Bean Casserole
- Jalapeno Cornbread Stuffing
- Pumpkin Pie with Whip Cream

Don’t forget that was for the two of us. Fair to say that we both ended up sitting around for the rest of the day in a turkey induced coma.

Im loving my time in New York and have been already looking into visa options for next year to extend my stay. Although my mom is probably reading this, i can almost guarantee that i want to spend a few years here as it really is somewhere i feel like i enjoy living

My girlfriend and i are cooking a feast for the masses tomorrow, and by masses i mean just us two… and by us cooking i mean me watching and occasionaly asking if she needs a hand with anything. I love how excited my girlfriend is to show me thanksgiving in her style, it sounds like a pretty family oriented celebration so part of me is sad she doesnt have the time off work to go home and celebrate it with her parents. But the more selfish part of me is happy that she gets to stay here with me and introduce me to yet another US cultural experience.

Today is the last day of work, until i return on Monday, 4 days from now!!! I plan to do nothing except eat a ridiculous amount of turkey, watch tv and get drunk… maybe i am becoming an American. It seems like the end of the year is the best time to be in the US, Halloween, thanksgiving and then Xmas all in a row.

Last night i attempted to watch one of my girlfriends friends band. I say attempted as my ears were punished by the bands prior to the band i wanted to see. The news came through that our friends band would not be playing for atleast another 2 hours, as it was already midnight and i needed to work today, we decided to call it a night and go home. This resulted in a quick trip to a ‘bodega’ to pick up some cookies and milk….. yes my girlfriend and i are actually kids in disguise. I will never learn the simple fact that alcohol and milk do not mix (my fav drink being a white russian) and that i am like a gremlin. Well a specific gremlin that when i drink milk after midnight i wake up and feel like i have killed myself twice over…. so sick this morning.

Plans over the next few months, save some money, play mixed soccer early next year, learn piano and eventually start planning a trip early next year to go boarding in Vermont. The next few months should be a fun/cold time but im really looking forward to seeing how NY puts on xmas. If every other occasion is an indicator then im in for a treat.

My next entry post will be after the thanksgiving break, when im sure, ill be 10 pounds heavier and actually resemble a turkey..

My first NBA game has come and gone and all that is left is a giant number 1 foam hand plastered on my wall, acting as the sole decoration i have in my room. The plans of artwork, basketball rings and bonzai trees have fallen to the wayside. Replaced by hours of sitting infront of my computer and playing xbox. The endless saga which was my xbox repair has finally been resolved after 3 weeks and a total of $75 i found out that it was probably just a new power supply that i needed. Simple problem with the longest most complex solution ever, or so it seemed to me and the repairer at the time.

Planning a few outings for this weekend including a visit to the moma, catching up with friends on friday night for drinks, and a well over due trip to Topman or H&M to buy some new clothes for work. I’ve attempted this 3 times in the last month and each time i can never find the motivation to spend money on work clothes. Its like buying a new pencil case for school, the least exciting way to spend my ‘hard earned’ cash.

My girlfriend has started her new job which she seems excited about, better money, better bar, same weird people to serve on a daily basis. The one change being no more 4am closing times as she now is the day shift sherriff, or so i like to call her.

New York is a weird place, at the moment i feel like i have slowed down abit due to money, being tired from actually working and the weather being colder. My relocation laziness has kicked in, a trait i was famous for in London. HOwever this time i dont have a new european country to visit every weekend so i need to kick my own ass to go out and see more, especially in Manhattan. Even though my daily commute consists of the L to 6th ave then the 1 to houston, i feel like Manhattan is still very much undiscovered to me.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, which will be another exciting time for my girlfriend to introduce me to yet another American cultural experience including eating turkey for 2 weeks after the event. I have been allocated small menial tasks with little overall signifficance. But little does she know that tradition says that the opening of the cranberry sauce can is the key moment in any thanksgiving tradition. So who’s the fool now?

On the geek side of things, i have included a meta tag description and a sitemap to the blog to see how long google takes to crawl…

Ok so its now the end of week 3 at work, or as i like to call it ‘one week away from my next pay’. So far im loving my work, its a great mix of analytical, creative, project management and marketing. Its weird being on the agency side but i think im adapting to it. The biggest challenge is not to forget how many people need to be ‘looped in’ to every conversation that you have. The amount of hands involved in making any project work is quite strange and something i not particularly use to, coming from a small company. But if i have to say how i feel about my job then overall im happy, the pay is good, the people are fun and the working environment is easy and exciting.

Halloween has come and gone and oh my god do Americans celebrate in style. The amount of zombies, monsters, cheesy tv characters and cliche vampires running around brooklyn last weekend was a sight to be seen. My girlfriend and i went dressed up as zombies, with amazing makeup supplied by her. We genuinely looked quite scary, here is a glimpse of what i looked like . We ended up going to a warehouse party in bushwick after waiting in line, in the rain for atleast what felt like an hour. Once we got there we had fun, dancing around surrounded by people dressed up head to toe, i saw at least 5 Michael Jacksons and 5 obamas including my housemate which added a french variation to the president. Got home around 4am with sore feet and a sore head, definitely one of the best Halloween’s i ever had. Reminded me of how much fun i use to have as a kid growing up and going trick or treating.

This weekend should be huge. Tonight (friday) im going to watch my first ever NBA game, to say im excited and giggling like a school girl is a massive understatement. The tickets were a touch pricey but to go watch Shaq, Lebron and the Cavs probably destroy the Knicks i think its worth it. The game starts at 8 and im sure ill enjoy it much more than the yankees game i went to, however both sports can be very anti climactic at times.

Following the basketball is my girlfriends birthday on Saturday, ive run around half of Manhattan looking for presents and just the right cake. We are hosting a cool dinner and drinks at my house on Saturday night for all her friends. Im looking forward to celebrating her birthday with her for the first time.

Sunday will more than likely be a recovery & relaxing day, hopefully i will have my xbox back from the repair shop by then as i would love to just sit around and play it all day. I have 2 games ive been waiting over a month to play! the suspense is killing the inner geek in me. I’ve already pre-warned my girlfriend that Sunday could be an entire day spent with my xbox, once again she proves just how cool she is by saying ‘ i’ll just sleep all day’. ahah instead of the normal… ‘i thought we were doing x, y or z”

And last but not least, i have restarted an old passion of mine. I use to DJ everynow and again for about 3 years or so. Realising it was just too expensive to continue buying vinyl, i had to stop. Years later everything has now changed, the introduction of cheap midi controllers and the launch of beatport has made tracks and equipment much more within reach. After buying some of my prog house gems and plugging my new midi controller in, i expected some rusty and rough mixes. To my surprise i actually wasn’t that bad. Don’t get me wrong, Sasha would not be threatened but overall i was pretty happy. Anyway, i recorded a quick 1hr mix of my fav (and only) tracks i have so far and put it in a new section of the site found under “mixes’. Feel free to click play and sit back and laugh, enjoy, critique whatever it may be.

Another week passes and the more i think im catching up to this city the more i realise im not even close. The sense of always feeling tired, mixed with the fact that there is always something to do is both exciting and scary at the same time.