Just say no

A photo of two of the people involved, foolish nimrods.

A couple of Kiwi celebs have been caught with the wrong type of drugs in their possession. It appears that thay have been caught with some cocaine, ecstasy, and cannabis. A few others are involved, and it looks like it might wreck a few tv shows back there in NZ. Name suppression is in effect, but with everything floating around the internet these days I think most everyone knows who thay are already?
The shit has hit the fan.

The accused according to the NZ Herald:

* A 55-year-old company director alleged to be at the top end of the drug ring is facing 22 charges, including possession of methamphetamine for supply, possession of Ecstasy for supply, supplying Ecstasy, supplying cocaine, conspiracy to supply Ecstasy, conspiracy to supply cocaine, offering to supply Ecstasy and offering to supply methamphetamine.

* A 51-year-old property developer faces one charge of conspiracy to supply Ecstasy.

* A 31-year-old restaurant manager is charged with conspiring to supply cocaine.

* A 30-year-old mechanic is charged with conspiracy to supply Ecstasy, supplying Ecstasy and possession of Ecstasy for supply.

* A 39-year-old self-employed businessman is charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine and supplying Ecstasy.

* A 30-year-old man with no stated occupation is charged with possession of Ecstasy for supply.

* Sports celebrity A is listed on a charge sheet having "jointly offended" with the company director of supplying cocaine and cannabis. He has not appeared in court.

* Sports celebrity B is listed on a charge sheet as being supplied with Ecstasy by the company director. He has not appeared in court.

I got a new digital camera

I purchased a Canon S70 today. It is necessary for the property search I am taking on and of course real estate here in Santa Monica. It is a nice all round camera and has:

7.1-Megapixel CCD delivers 3,072 x 2,304 pixel images
*
4x optical zoom lens covers 28-100mm equivalent range
*
Nice mix of high-end features, easy usability
*
Beautiful, rugged, compact design

I am happy with this purchase..... SMILE.

ACT is needed for stability

According to Helen Clark, New Zealand Prime Minister.....

"I am getting feedback with people very concerned about ... the instability of New Zealand First/National Party coalitions -- been there done that. It was not a good experience for people," she said.

I tend to agree with her.....

ACT needs to be there to keep Winston on the straight and narrow... ACT will complete the package as long as NZ First does not flip flop and dare I say it; go left.....

Back to Manhattan and Colorado

I have to go to Manhattan next week to view some nice townhouses for sale. After I do that, I need to go to Beaver Creek in Colorado to settle on a magnificent home that the company will be purchasing. I have been busy traveling lately and it is certainly a magnificent opportunity I have to do so. I really really like Manhattan. I could live there I think.

Stem cell research

What do you think of this topic? Should the US government allow this for the sake of finding cures for people with currently uncureable illness?

Adventure in Limo

I went with a group of people from work to a company called Property I.D in downtown Los Angeles. They sent a limo to pick us up and provided a nice lunch while explaining to us what they do and how they do it. They provide all the disclosures and facts that a prospective buyer would want to know about the property before buying that is in public records or should be known. It goes as far as determining if the property is in a flood, earthquake and fire zone, the various charges pending or due and if the property is in a slip zone. There is also maps and other disclosures. Now they may not be able to get everything all of the time so they back it up with a $20,000,000 insurance policy for each property in this litigous state. It was very interesting, and backs up the fact that in real estate in California you need to disclose disclose disclose.

Cooter says " Dont see the movie" ?

Now this is a contradiction to my last post. According to CNN, Ben 'Cooter' Jones says 'They trashed our show,' calling it "a sleazy insult."

Ben Jones, a former Georgia congressman who played the wisecracking mechanic Cooter on the popular series from 1979 to 1985, said profanity and sexual content in the film make a mockery of the family-friendly show.

"Basically, they trashed our show," said Jones, who read a script of the Warner Brothers movie, which is scheduled to be released next month. "It's one thing to do whatever movie they want to do, but to take a classic family show and do that is like taking 'I Love Lucy' and making her a crackhead or something."

On Wednesday, Jones wrote an open letter to fans on his Web site, urging them to stay away.

"From all I have seen and heard, the 'Dukes' movie is a sleazy insult to all of us who have cared about the 'Dukes of Hazzard' for so long," Jones wrote. "Unless they clean it up before the August fifth release date I would strongly recommend that true blue Dukes fans hold their noses and pass this one up."

A spokeswoman at Warner Brothers did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment on Wednesday.

"The Dukes of Hazzard" was a surprise hit for CBS, pitting "good-ol' boys" Bo and Luke Duke and their moonshine-running Uncle Jesse against the crooked politician Boss Hogg and his bumbling henchman, Sheriff Coltrane, in fictional Hazzard County.

Jones was elected to Congress in 1988 as a Democrat. He lost his bid for a third term in 1992 after his district was redrawn. He owns Cooter's Place, a "Dukes" memorabilia shop in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Ahh.... I didn't realise that he was a Democrat.....Maybe it is a case of sour grapes because he wasn't offered a bit part in the movie? I will watch it anyways although I am really annoyed that Jessica Simpson is Daisy Duke. Yee Haa

The movie of the summer?

This summer, hide your bridesmaids. So warns the promo for this weekend's new movie, "Wedding Crashers", which is about a couple of bachelors who show up at weddings uninvited to prey on lonely bridesmaids and especially desperate female guests.

The movie cashes in on two common stereotypes about weddings: that women hate attending nuptials alone, and that men, realizing how vulnerable weddings make single women feel, use the occasions to their advantage.

Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn are the stars of the movie, and the previews look very very funny. This looks like it will be a box office hit, and is certainly on my list of too see movies along with The Dukes of Hazzard which is to be released on August 5th.

Woo hoo.......

Horse on the menu

According to the NZ Herald, a restaurant in Hamilton has been getting abusive calls after serving horse...

Canvas restaurateur David Kerr received abusive phone calls in the wake of a story on Monday publicising his "Mr Ed is Dead" horse dish entry in this year's Monteith's Wild Food Challenge.

"It was pretty lively and disgusting and not comforting for the staff," Mr Kerr said. "There was swearing, cursing, horrible language and it prompted a call to the police."

But while wild horses couldn't drag some punters into his restaurant this week, others can't wait to dig in. Mr Kerr was buoyed by the sale of 10 meals on Monday night and a host of email inquiries.

"Some think it is appalling but others are really interested to give it a go and want to know where else they can buy it," he said.

Leading racehorse breeder Sir Patrick Hogan said he would be disappointed if horse took off as restaurant fare.

"I certainly won't be eating horse, that's for sure, whether it is from the Kaimanawa Ranges or thoroughbreds," he said. "I realise I eat lamb and beef but the animals I have mostly worked with are horses and I am passionate about them. There is no need to introduce a new meat product. If there was only one restaurant in Hamilton and it was his, I wouldn't sit at his table."

But Sandra Shearer, Hamilton spokeswoman for the International League for Protection of Horses, said although she would not eat it, she was not offended.

She noted horse meat was regularly used in foreign salamis and was popular pet food here.

I think that it is also popular in Germany....

I don't know would you eat it?

JPM wins the race

Juan Pablo Montoya claimed the race win at the British Grand Prix in his McLaren today. He managed to get past Alonso at the first corner and with exception of a few race leader changes with pit stops etc, he lead most of the way.
Giancarlo was in for 3rd position until he stalled the car after a pit stop. I bet there will be some car door slamming going on in the Renault camp right now.
Fernando Alonso is still leads in the points for 2005 and is in a good position to claim the Championship this year. Problem is that he has Kimi with the taste of blood in his mouth and 7 times world champ Michael Schumacher folling up behind, as you can see by the points board below.


2005 Drivers Championship
Pos Driver Nationality Team Points

1 Fernando Alonso Spanish Renault 77
2 Kimi Räikkönen Finnish McLaren-Mercedes51
3 Michael Schumacher German Ferrari 43
4 Rubens Barrichello Brazilian Ferrari 31
4= Jarno Trulli Italian Toyota 31
6 Juan Pablo Montoya Colombian McLaren-Mercedes26
7 Giancarlo Fisichella Italian Renault 25
7= Nick Heidfeld German Williams-BMW 25
9 Ralf Schumacher German Toyota 23
10 Mark Webber Australian Williams-BMW 22

Alonso claims pole at Silverstone

A large disappointment for Kimi and McLaren as his engine blew 7 minutes into the session. He claimed 2nd in qualifying, but due to the rules he will have to loose 10 positions for the beginning of the race and start at 12th position. This happened last week in France when he qualifyied in 3rd position and had to start in 13th due to engine failure. Now he did finish 2nd at France and he is very determined, so watch Kimi climb the ladder tomorrow at the English Grand Prix.

I notice that Jacques Villeneuve at Sauber put in a good qualifying effort and ended up in 11th position qualifying in front of both the Red Bulls and Williams BMW cars. He seems to have gained some confidence knowing that BMW has purchased Sauber and having another year in his contract with Sauber will give him a chance at some podiums next year. He qualifyed right behind 7 times world champion Michael Schumacher.


Pos No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Points

1 5 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:19.905

2 9 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes 1:19.932 Engine failure again. Start at 12th

3 3 Jenson Button BAR-Honda 1:20.207

4 10 Juan Pablo Montoya McLaren-Mercedes 1:20.382

5 16 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:20.459

6 2 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 1:20.906

7 6 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 1:21.010

8 4 Takuma Sato BAR-Honda 1:21.114

9 17 Ralf Schumacher Toyota 1:21.191

10 1 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 1:21.275

11 11 Jacques Villeneuve Sauber-Petronas 1:21.352

12 7 Mark Webber Williams-BMW 1:21.997

13 14 David Coulthard Red Bull Racing 1:22.108

14 8 Nick Heidfeld Williams-BMW 1:22.117

15 15 Christian Klien Red Bull Racing 1:22.207

16 12 Felipe Massa Sauber-Petronas 1:22.495

17 19 Narain Karthikeyan Jordan-Toyota 1:23.583

18 21 Christijan Albers Minardi-Cosworth 1:24.576

19 20 Patrick Friesacher Minardi-Cosworth 1:25.566

20 18 Tiago Monteiro Jordan-Toyota

**Kimi Raikkonen receives 10 position grid penalty for engine change, therefore 12th.

Bombs in London

It seems that there has been many terrible terrorist explosions in London shutting down the city and killing at least 33 people. I have called friends in London and they are all ok at this stage. It seems that the police are working hard to catch the killers within 24 hours. I hope that this is not the start of a domino effect.

Dubya crashes bike into policeman

AUCHTERARDER, Scotland... Accroding to CNN, President George W Bush collided with a British police officer during a bike ride Wednesday evening, suffering scrapes on his hands and arms that required bandaging, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.

The officer, from the Strethclyde Police Department in Scotland, was taken to a local hospital as a precaution. He was treated and released, after an evaluation revealed no fractures, McClellan said.

Bush "visited" with the police officer for some time after the accident and asked White House physician Dr. Richard Tubb to monitor his situation at the hospital, McClellan said. The president was expected to call the officer later, McClellan said.

It looks like there may have been a bit of excited activity over there in Scotland. It is reported that the President was traveling at quite some speed....

Nothing like getting run over by George... Hope he had his insurance card on him.

Happy 4th of July

It has 60-foot high faces, eyes 11 feet across, noses 20 feet long, and mouths that stretch 18 feet and is visited by 2.5 million people a year... Mount Rushmore - located in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The sculpted heads of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt were carved from a solid mass of granite. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum was commissioned in 1927 to carve the massive tourist attraction. It took 14 years to complete and cost a mere $1 million, and is now considered priceless.

Is ANZUS to be reformed?

USS Texas visiting Auckland in 1983

According to the NZ Herald: The United States is publicly calling for "comprehensive dialogue" with New Zealand to repair a relationship it implies has lacked trust and respect since the rift over anti-nuclear legislation in the mid-80s.

The call was made in a hard-hitting speech in Wellington last night by departing United States ambassador Charles Swindells - though he did not use the word "nuclear" once.

This looks like a slight policy change from the USA's point of view. I am sure that they still use the neither confirm or deny policy, so unless it is a diesel cargo boat I am not sure if NZ would allow the vessel in. NZ's law would need too, and should be ammended to at least allow nuclear powered vessels in. It is not the cold war anymore, and if a USS sub rolls in it does not mean that a Russian Typhoon class is tailing with it's weapons locked in on the US vessel. The only worry would be people trying to damage the vessel, which would happen if it was deisel, electric, or nuclear powered anyway.

I call upon the NZ government to get into these dialogues forthwith..... Resurect ANZUS and order 10 or 20 F16 while you are at it... If Labour doesn't I am sure that NATIONAL / ACT / NZ First will...

The New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act, 1987 bans nuclear weapons and nuclear-powered ships from entering New Zealand's territorial waters.

The Prime Minister may grant approval to foreign warships if she is satisfied they are not carrying nuclear weapons.

Renault take the win at French GP

I got up at 5am and watched the race live...... Kimi worked well to go from 13th to 2nd, but Alonso does it again, his 5th win of the year.

Pos No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Points

1 5 Fernando Alonso Renault 70 Winner 1 10

2 9 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes 70 +11.8 secs 13 8

3 1 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 70 +81.9 secs 3 6

4 3 Jenson Button BAR-Honda 69 +1 Lap 7 5

5 16 Jarno Trulli Toyota 69 +1 Lap 2 4

6 6 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 69 +1 Lap 6 3

7 17 Ralf Schumacher Toyota 69 +1 Lap 11 2

8 11 Jacques Villeneuve Sauber-Petronas 69 +1 Lap 10 1

9 2 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 69 +1 Lap 5

10 14 David Coulthard Red Bull Racing 69 +1 Lap 15

11 4 Takuma Sato BAR-Honda 69 +1 Lap 4

12 7 Mark Webber Williams-BMW 68 +2 Lap 12

13 18 Tiago Monteiro Jordan-Toyota 67 +3 Lap 19

14 8 Nick Heidfeld Williams-BMW 66 +4 Lap 14

15 19 Narain Karthikeyan Jordan-Toyota 66 +4 Lap 17

Ret 10 Juan Pablo Montoya McLaren-Mercedes 46 +24 Laps 8

Ret 21 Christijan Albers Minardi-Cosworth 37 +33 Laps 20

Ret 20 Patrick Friesacher Minardi-Cosworth 33 +37 Laps 18

Ret 12 Felipe Massa Sauber-Petronas 30 +40 Laps 9

Ret 15 Christian Klien Red Bull Racing 1 +69 Laps 16

Fastest Lap: Kimi Räikkönen 1:16.423

Alonso captures French GP pole.

A great day for Renault at their home Grand Prix. Not so great of a day for Kimi as he has to start from 13th position because of an engine change after practice yesterday. Michael Schumacher is slowly getting up amongst the action, with Williams BMW dropping like a lead balloon....Hopefully Michelen have their act together for the race tommorrow.......I am looking forwards to watching this race.

1 5 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:14.412

2 16 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:14.521

3 9 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes 1:14.559 Has an engine penalty starts in 13th place.

4 1 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 1:14.572

5 4 Takuma Sato BAR-Honda 1:14.655

6 2 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 1:14.832

7 6 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 1:14.887

8 3 Jenson Button BAR-Honda 1:15.051

9 10 Juan Pablo Montoya McLaren-Mercedes 1:15.406

10 12 Felipe Massa Sauber-Petronas 1:15.566

11 11 Jacques Villeneuve Sauber-Petronas 1:15.699

12 17 Ralf Schumacher Toyota 1:15.771

13 7 Mark Webber Williams-BMW 1:15.885

14 8 Nick Heidfeld Williams-BMW 1:16.207

15 14 David Coulthard Red Bull Racing 1:16.434

16 15 Christian Klien Red Bull Racing 1:16.547

17 19 Narain Karthikeyan Jordan-Toyota 1:17.857

18 20 Patrick Friesacher Minardi-Cosworth 1:17.960

19 18 Tiago Monteiro Jordan-Toyota 1:18.047

20 21 Christijan Albers Minardi-Cosworth 1:18.335

Congratulations

Congratulations to my friend and roommate Christopher, who got engaged to his longtime girlfriend Stephanie yesterday....... (ha she said YES)

Congratulations to Andrushka and Antje Niven who got married in Auckland New Zealand yesterday. All the best and good luck with moving to Europe. Sorry I couldn't attend. I hope Pablo made a great speech.

1959 Cadillac Convertible

I want one of these beautiful automobiles. They don't make them like this anymore, look at those beautiful fins...... Problem is, is that they are now commanding over $100,000US for mint condition vehicles. Good motivator to make some money.....

Updated the blog

I am learning a bit more about HTML. It is quite interesting to be able to change colors and fonts to make my blog a bit different. Now I have a mission to learn another language....

McLaren is on top

Pedro de la Rosa was the only driver to dip under the 75-second barrier today at Magny Cours in the first two practice sessions of the French Grand Prix weekend. The McLaren Mercedes driver dominated the opening session of the day and then put in a blisteringly fast time at the end of the second session to give him the fastest two laps of the day overall. I cant wait till the qualifying and the race. Hopefully Michelen has got the tire situation organised this week....

1. 35 DE LA ROSA McLaren Mercedes M 1'14"460 213.263 Km/h
2. 10 MONTOYA McLaren Mercedes M 1'15"129 + 0'00"669
3. 1 M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari B 1'15"204 + 0'00"744
4. 5 ALONSO Renault M 1'15"242 + 0'00"782
5. 6 FISICHELLA Renault M 1'15"380 + 0'00"920
6. 38 PANIS Toyota M 1'15"483 + 0'01"023
7. 2 BARRICHELLO Ferrari B 1'15"605 + 0'01"145
8. 16 TRULLI Toyota M 1'15"774 + 0'01"314
9. 17 R.SCHUMACHER Toyota M 1'15"925 + 0'01"465
10. 14 COULTHARD RedBull Cosworth M 1'16"371 + 0'01"911
11. 11 VILLENEUVE Sauber Petronas M 1'16"430 + 0'01"970
12. 3 BUTTON BAR Honda M 1'16"597 + 0'02"137
13. 12 MASSA Sauber Petronas M 1'16"753 + 0'02"293
14. 4 SATO BAR Honda M 1'16"890 + 0'02"430
15. 37 LIUZZI RedBull Cosworth M 1'16"987 + 0'02"527
16. 7 WEBBER Williams BMW M 1'17"107 + 0'02"647
17. 8 HEIDFELD Williams BMW M 1'17"192 + 0'02"732
18. 39 DOORNBOS Jordan Toyota B 1'17"574 + 0'03"114
19. 19 KARTHIKEYAN Jordan Toyota B 1'17"790 + 0'03"330

Travel e-mail I sent out to friends

Hello,

I hope that the month of June has been good for you. I have been extremely busy with the move to the Keller Williams Realty Santa Monica office, and traveling all over the USA and the Bahamas looking for desirable property with Nick.

On June 5th I hopped on a plane for Miami and spent a couple of days based in South Beach looking at properties in Miami and Ft Lauderdale. From there we flew via small plane to Abaco in the Bahamas. I thought that the Bahamas would have been a bit more happening, and there was certainly evidence of hurricane damage from the hurricanes late last year. There was a few nice beaches and a great resort, but might keep exploring that part of the world before settling on a property.

It was then off to New York via Ft Lauderdale.......

Manhattan rocks.... It is actually smaller than I was expecting. The sun flows in and the central park is amazing. I managed to see a lot of property including a nice apartment in the Trump tower. It was very hot and humid, but the experience was great and I plan on getting back there soon. Found a great sushi restaurant and really had a great time.

From New York we went to Colorado and ended in Aspen for a couple of days. Aspen is amazing also, it snowed one night and was 26 degrees ( 80 F ) the next day. Aspen is a lovely town and is another place that I will visit again. Went to Vail which was not as impressive as I had expected, although Beaver Creek and Bachelors Gulch were very very nice. Saw Lionel Ritchie at the airport in Denver all dressed up in what looked like the Canadian winter olympic suit??????

From Colorado we flew on a Boeing 777 direct to Honolulu. It was nice to be back in Honolulu. I had not been thee since my 21st birthday where my sister Catherine and I managed to have plenty of fun. I took a dip in the pacific on the day of arrival and the waves were crashing onto the fantastic beach. The water was very very warm. I just kept an eye out for sharks. Found a nice property in Diamond Head.

Then it was back to LA for a day or two then off to Lake Tahoe CA via road, to close on a magnificent property in Squaw Valley.......... The home is a masterpiece and I look forwards to visiting Tahoe again soon.

Well that is me for the month of June. I have started a car blog with Aaron Bhatnagar. We go ahead and critique various automobiles and you can comment on it, so check it out. kiwicarlovers.blogspot.com I have also kept my personal blog and website up too date with some new photos, so be sure to check them and comment regularly....puntiki.blogspot.com

Let me know what you are up too.

ROB


puntiki.blogspot.com
kiwicarlovers.blogspot.com

File Maker Pro 7

I brought this database system for my computer, as most of the others, in fact all of the others that are used in the Keller Willaims office are not compatable with the Apple. I am going to have to buy a desk top computer for the office, but at this stage is there anyone out there who is an expert on file maker pro?

The political polls in NZ

There has been another poll, and this time:

Labour falls 6.9 to 36.2 per cent............ Good news for the right wing

National is up 3.9 per cent to 40.1 per cent. Puts the right wing in the power play

NZ First climbs 3.6 to 11.8 per cent......... Winston Peters pulls another one out

Greens are up 0.7 to 4 per cent.............. The power of the "Green"

Maori Party is up 0.4 to 3.1 per cent........ That is low polling for this party.

Act is down 0.6 to 1.9 per cent.............. Not good for ACT. National needs ACT

United Future is down 0.5 to 1.3 per cent.... Worse than ACT argh.........

ACT and National are natural partners. Winston is a interesting character, but is not 100% reliable... Remember what happened last time Winston and National got together? Labour are failing, and after the amount of time they have had in power it is time for a change. NZ needs to get back to work to pull up to the international standards expected. National and ACT and I guess NZ First are the team to do it.

kiwicarlovers.blogspot.com

Aaron Bhatnagar and I have started the kiwicarlovers.blogspot.com blog. It will have vehicles that he and I review and comment on. It may be interesting for you to look at it and comment if you like cars. Let me know if there are any cars you;d like reviewed.

Internet on planes

According to the NZ Herald, Air New Zealand's new planes may come with lie-flat leather seats and advanced in-flight entertainment, but anyone wanting broadband internet at 30,000 feet may have to wait until a rival upgrades.

The airline has embarked on a complete overhaul of its long-haul services, with seven of its eight Boeing 747-400s refitted with new interiors and in-flight entertainment.

The first of eight new Boeing 777-200ER is due to arrive in September this year.

But Air New Zealand has not asked Boeing to fit its new planes with the antennae needed for in-flight broadband internet access.

It seems that Singapore Airlines has access to internet and SMS etc on their planes. It does seem to be the way of the future, so I guess Air NZ should get the upgrades done now. I was searching for planes online and it seems that it is between $150,000 and $500,000US to get the internet up and running on the plane. With the amount of travelers on the plane willing to spend $10 per hour to asssec these features the investment would be payed off quickly, and the customers would have the comforts of home. Do it now Air New Zealand.

LAX gun range

Went to the LAX gun range with Nicolas today. Hired the 9mm glocks again and got a few different targets. Nick was a pretty good shot and I am certainly improving over when I first started shooting. I even managed to get a couple of bulls eyes....

oh no.... Best I get a hydrodgen powered car.

According to CNN, oil prices hit $60 a barrel Thursday, rallying on U.S. reports showing that ballooning energy costs have yet to dent demand, but settled off record highs.

Analysts said oil was probably headed above $60 sometime soon but noted there also could be profit-taking on the way.

Light sweet crude for August settled up $1.33 at $59.42 on the New York Mercantile Exchange, after briefly touching $60 a barrel, a new front-month contract record.

At $60 a barrel, the August contract broke the old intraday trading record set Tuesday at $59.70 a barrel, the highest since futures trading began in 1983.

The highest closing price for a front-month contract was $59.37 a barrel, hit last Friday.

Best that George gets the corn growers to gas it up and get the bio fuels on line. At this rate I will be paying $3 per gallon to fill up the 325i..... I wouldn't be too keen on having a petrol vehicle in Europe or NZ at this time.....

Maybe BMW will hurry up and bring out the Hydrodgen powered 7 series.....!!!!

NZ housing prices increasing fast

According to the NZ Herald today, NZ house prices are amongst the world's fastest growing



The Economist magazine's cover story this week put New Zealand at fifth place out of 20 countries on its house-price indices.

In the first quarter of this year, prices here were up 12.5 per cent compared with the same time last year, behind South Africa, up 23.6 per cent, Hong Kong 19 per cent, Spain 15.5 per cent and France 15 per cent.

The United States ranked equal to New Zealand with a 12.5 per cent rise, although in areas like NY and LA and Miami the properties have risen as much as 50% or more in the last 2 years. Then Denmark up 11.3 per cent, Sweden 10 per cent, China 9.8 per cent, Italy 9.7 per cent, Belgium 9.4 per cent, Ireland 6.5 per cent, Britain 5.5 per cent, Canada 5.2 per cent, Singapore 2 per cent, Netherlands 1.9 per cent, Switzerland 1 per cent, Australia 0.4 per cent, Germany -1.3 per cent and Japan -5.4 per cent.

"Never before have real house prices risen so fast for so long in so many countries," the magazine said, although it noted house price inflation in New Zealand, Ireland and the Netherlands has slowed significantly in the last year.

"Measured by the increase in asset values over the past five years, the global housing boom is the biggest financial bubble in history. The bigger the boom, the bigger the eventual bust."

BMW to take over Sauber F1 team

BMW is striking out on a new path in Formula One. After acquiring a majority shareholding in the Swiss Sauber team, a BMW managed team will be contesting the Formula One World Championship as early as 2006.

I am not sure what this means for Frank Williams and the boys. Maybe it is time for them to get some new engines?

BMW will keep the base and the employees in Switzerland. I wonder what will happen to Jacques Villeneuve next year? He might be in a position to win if they keep him on.

At home

I am back home in LA now after flying back from Reno NV yesterday. The house in Tahoe is particularly nice and I am looking forwards to visiting it when it is snowing. I guess I will need to brush up my skiing skills.......

In Tahoe

Got a new BMW X5 4.4 from Santa Monica BMW and we drove up to Olympic Valley, Tahoe, Ca. Closing on a beautiful property tomrrow, so it was a requirement to come up and make sure everything was in order. The location is beauutiful and the weather is warming up. Went to Incline Village in Nevada today for a look, very interesting.
If you ever want to come skiing in California, come to Squaw at teh Olympic Village and try it out.

Toyota on pole US Grand Prix

For an hour this afternoon, the tyre issues that have dominated the US Grand Prix weekend at Indianapolis were put to one side as the 20 drivers all completed their qualifying runs and somewhat fittingly, it was Jarno Trulli who claimed Toyota’s first Pole Position in Formula One.

Congrats to Jarno Trulli. I understand that it is the first time since 1968 that a Japanese auto maker has been on pole in a F1 Grand Prix. Below is the qualifying times.

Pos No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Points

1 16 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:10.625

2 9 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes 1:10.694

3 3 Jenson Button BAR-Honda 1:11.277

4 6 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 1:11.290

5 1 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 1:11.369

6 5 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:11.380

7 2 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 1:11.431

8 4 Takuma Sato BAR-Honda 1:11.497

9 7 Mark Webber Williams-BMW 1:11.527

10 12 Felipe Massa Sauber-Petronas 1:11.555

11 10 Juan Pablo Montoya McLaren-Mercedes 1:11.681

12 11 Jacques Villeneuve Sauber-Petronas 1:11.691

13 17 Ricardo Zonta Toyota 1:11.754

14 15 Christian Klien Red Bull Racing 1:12.132

15 8 Nick Heidfeld Williams-BMW 1:12.430

16 14 David Coulthard Red Bull Racing 1:12.682

17 18 Tiago Monteiro Jordan-Toyota 1:13.462

18 21 Christijan Albers Minardi-Cosworth 1:13.632

19 19 Narain Karthikeyan Jordan-Toyota 1:13.776

20 20 Patrick Friesacher Minardi-Cosworth 1:14.494

Back in LA

Managed to get everything that need to be done in Honolulu done, so popped back to LA tonight...... Changed a photo on my website........It was a very clear evening in Los Angeles as we landed......

In Honolulu

Arrived in Honolulu via United airlines Boeing 777 from Denver. It was 87 degrees F or 30 degrees C when we arrived and not a cloud in the sky. I took the opportunity to go to the Waikiki beach and take a rather long swim. The water was really nice, and I am thinking of having another swim tomorrow. Have property to look at in Diamond Head and other areas tomorrow, so another busy agenda.

In Vail

I am in Vail. Been to Aspen and it even snowed the evening I was there. Aspen ROCKS. Vail is nice too. Off to see properties in Beaver Creek and Vail today.
Back to Aspen tonight and off to Honolulu tomorrow. I managed to see a nice wee fox today at a property I was looking at. It looked like a my old and deceased Sheltie Sparky, but it was a red head and had shifty eyes..... I got a photo, so I will post it on the website when I can.

Off to Colorado

I am off to Colorado bright and early in the morning. I have a 530am wake up call for a flight that leaves around 8am. Will need to rent a car and drive to Vail from Aspen. I am expecting a temperature change.

Mr Jenson Button on pole. Montreal F1

I am excited by the fact that Jenson Button propelled his BAR Honda to pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix tomorrow. He is followed up closely by world champion Michael Schumacher in his Ferrari. I am also impressed with Jacques Villeneuve who has managed to qualify in 8th position on the track named after his late father Gilles. It will be a great race to watch...I think I will be on an airplane to Colorado though...HMMM. Bummer

Thunder in Manhattan

It is very eeiry here right now. I am at the W checking my e-mails and it is thundering. It sounds like an out of control airplane...NOT a subject that I would bring up in conversation over here with the locals...Not trying to be unapt either...It was the first thought that came to mind.

Taxi ride...NY style.

When I as travelling around looking at properties, it became necessary to hop into a cab to get across town. Well the guy driving the taxi was from somewhere else and reminded me of the soup nazi on Seinfeld. He was randomly accelerating and braking unnecessarily. He nearly side swiped 3 cars, jumped the curb at last twice, and topped it of by yelling at another driver and telling them to "blow it out there ass", as they were trying to point out by honking that the taxi driver was driving erratically. It was very classic. Sometimes you should believe what you see in the movies.

Spoke to the pie man

I have always wanted to sell NZ style meat pies in USA. Today I spoke with Gareth who is the main man at dubpies.com. He is a Kiwi who has attracted some attention in NY by manufacturing and selling pies here. I am keen to try one or 3, but I may not have time this trip. Anyways I found out today that he'd like to work the west coast, so I will do some diligence with Mrs Gaha and see what we can come up with. Emily can be in charge of Vancouver.

The BIG Apple

Had a busy day today looking at apartments in Manhattan. They are not cheap in this part of the world, and there are a lot of vendors with high expectations. Went to the Trump Tower and that was impressive. I managed to get a photo out the front, so I will put it on the website at a later date when I get to a proper computer. Also viewed another Trump building called The Trump World Tower. It is the tallest residential apartment complex in the world. It is 90 stories high, and located opposite the UN.
Manhattan is amazing, there is certainly a buzz here. Waked through the Central Park and aong 5th ave and Madson ave... I must say, It i not as big as I thought? Maybe I am a bit jet lagged?

In NY

I am now at the W in Lexington in Manhattan. I am updating this via internet on the tv. I went to Miami, then Abaco in the Bahamas. On way to Abaco both Nick and I got searched by customs. No rubber glove luckily. Abaco was very hot. Looked at some nice property. Some of the island was wrecked by the hurricans last year. Flew to Ft Lauderdale this morning and looked at property there too. Saw some nice ones. Arrived a JFK tonight after I got searched again at the airport.. Luckily no rubbber love again though.
Off to Trump tower tomorrow..WOO HOO

In Miami

In Miami off to Abaco tomorrow. It is really hot here.

off to the airport

I am off to the airport soon to head to Miami. I will blog along the way and let you know what the country is like.........

taking a carry on

I cant decide if I should take a large bag for my travels and put it in the hold of the plane, or take a carry on and not risk losing baggage? I am leaning towards the carry on.

A survey as per Aaron Bhatnagar's suggestion

I think that these things can be a bit silly, but since I actually completed it I will publish it.....

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

fishing

What is your greatest fear?

snakes

Which historical figure do you most identify with?

Bo Duke... HAHA ( Dukes of Hazzard )

Which living person do you most admire?

Great Aunt Vi / Parents

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

Grumpy.... Could be more efficient with my time. Could work harder. Need to push myself more.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

asking silly questions

What is your greatest extravagance?

Jack Daniels

What is your favorite journey?

To New Zealand to visit family friends

On what occasion do you lie?

Dont make a habit of lying.

What do you dislike most about your appearance?

HA.....

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

WASSUP


What is your greatest regret?

There is a few of them.. But I try to be positive.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

Family and dog ( dog is dead )


When and where were you happiest?

When I succeed.....Everywhere.

Which talent would you most like to have?

Singing and public speaking without embarassment or fear.
Learning a foreign language, and playing the bagpipes.


If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be?

That I could see them more often.


What do you consider your greatest achievement?

still being alive

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?

President Good, Rock star or movie star or Formula 1 racer

If you could choose what to come back as, what would it be?

cheetah

What is your most treasured possession?

memories


What is your favorite occupation?

real estate


What is your most marked characteristic?

a bit cheeky at times

What is the quality you most like in a man?

Not intersted in men

What is the quality you most like in a woman?

Everything

What do you most value in your friends?

The get togethers and stories and watching them grow and succeed.


Who are your heroes in real life?

Parents, F1 drivers, President, Governator, Trump


What is it that you most dislike?

blatant idiocy


How would you like to die?

Happy


What is your motto?

You only live once.... Hit it.

New Job e-mail update

This is a copy of the e-mail update I send out to my friends...

Hello All

I hope you are well and prospering in 2005. I have been very very busy lately. I completed the real estate exam, got the license in the mail and I have now hung my license on the wall at Keller Williams Realty Santa Monica. Keller Williams is a rapidly expanding real estate company and the office in Santa Monica is brand new. I am really looking forwards to getting in amongst the real estate market in Los Angeles, California and the USA. Watch this space.

I am off tomorrow to Miami. I am going to meet Nick and we will be touring the country looking for WOW properties that will be suitable for a new up market property company/club that is being set up. When everything is all go I will be letting you know all about it. This is an exciting venture. We will be looking in Miami, then off to Abaco in the Bahamas, New York City, Vail Colorado, Honolulu Hawaii and Maui. I expect to be away for over two weeks.

I will be posting updates on my blog which you could check from time to time and make comments if you so choose. It is puntiki.blogspot.com The blog is like a web site but it is updated daily with info about what I have been up too. In the future when I switch the web site over to business, the blog site will take over from the website as my source of communication. I have also changed my web site again since last time I e-mailed out....... So check that and let me know what you think.

My cousin Caleb came and visited, and I have been busy organizing the Real Estate career and the property trip.....My time has been consumed more so than normal lately.

I am very interested in knowing what you have been up too, so be sure to e-mail me or leave a comment on this blog......

Have a great day.

Rob

Steak tartare

I went to the Warszawa Restaurant in Santa Monica for dinner on Friday night. It was my friend Mat's birthday, and his girlfriend Nadine had organised for us all to meet there. Raven who created the movie the Helix Loaded was there, and his work collegues Nova and Alex also showed.
I particularly like dill. Upon starting with a few courses I noticed that most everything was dill infused....... The wine was good, the food was great and then came the steak tartare. Well if I had not had a couple of glasses of wine I probably would not have tried it, but I did and it was actually quite nice.....Now I am not planning on consuming raw mince again anytime soon, but it certainly was an experience.
The raspberry crepes for desert were the best I have ever had, and the Polish Vodka which tasted like it was slightly cinnamon infused was also magnificent.
All and all a brilliant evening. I will be going back to the Warszawa Restaurant.

Warszawa Restaurant 1414 Lincoln Blvd. Santa Monica, CA Tel: (310) 393-8831

L.C Plum @ The Joint

I am going to the Joint in Hollywood to watch the band L.C Plum. The band is made up of previous work collegues and they are rather good. I fully expect it to be another fun night in Los Angeles... Woo Hoo.

Getting prepared for property trip.

On Sunday I am off to Miami to meet up with Nick and look at property. We are going to go to Abaco in the Bahamas, New York ( the big apple ), Colorado and Hawaii. I have not been to any of the places except Hawaii, so it will be a interesting trip and a big learning curve. I am busy deciding weather to take a big bag or a carry on, and what sort of clothes to take. It is HOT in Miami today.

The Regent Beverly Wilshire

Went to the Regent Beverly Wilshire yesterday to meet a lady who specialises in property in Honolulu. I am going to Honolulu and Maui this month to look for some WOW property for a new proeprty company. While I was at the Beverly Wilshire, the lady from Honolulu gave me infomation on a magnificent 14,000 sq ft home in the Diamond Head area for US$17,500,000...... So if you are interested.... Let me know.

Happy wedding anniversary Mum and Dad

Happy wedding anniversary Mum and Dad. 31 years today. Married June 1st 1974.

License arrived today

My Real Estate license arrived today in the mail. I also had my first meeting at the new office and went on caravan with the agents. There is a lot of technology to learn up here in comparison to real estate in NZ, but it will be exciting to learn.

NZ PM may be called as witness.

According to the NZ Hearald... Prime Minister Helen Clark may yet be called as a witness in the motorcade case despite the prosecution deciding against it, a defence lawyer said yesterday.

Five police officers and a civilian driver are accused of dangerous driving after the Prime Minister's high-speed motorcade through the South Island last July.

A trial is set to start on August 1.

Defence lawyer Jonathan Eaton said the prosecution had indicated it would not call Helen Clark but other lawyers might.

I think this is a complete waste of time and public money. If the leader of a state or country is being transported in the name of public business, then the people in charge of transporting her or him should be able to use their judgement as to the best way and speed necessary to get the leaader to the destination.

You dont see President George Bush being called to the stand because his limo was travelling at 75MPH in 25 mph zone....

Although I don't condone illegal speeding in private vehicles, govt officials should be transported at the descretion of their handlers.

The fact that this is even going to court is a mockery.

Keller Williams Real Estate Santa Monica

I have completed my diligence, and I am officially going to hang my real estate license with Keller Williams Real Estate Santa Monica. I have started, and I am now officially a California Real Estate Salesperson.

Whenuapai Airbase for Formula 1

Wouldn't Whenuapai Airbase make a great location for a F1 circuit? Now a firm contract for many F1 races would bring in the sort of revenue to the economy that the America's Cup racing provided.....

Whenuapai Airbase for motorsport?

According to the NZ herald this morning, the Government has stepped in to keep V8 supercars racing in New Zealand, with conditional approval to let them use Whenuapai airbase.
This would be on the basis that the Air Force could reclaim the airbase within 24 hours if a significant emergency was to arise. Auckland Airport has offered to accommodate military aircraft during the races and their preparation and wind-up phases.

It is estimated by using Auckland City Council research that the event would pump an extra $46.5 million a year into the regional economy by attracting 150,000 spectators.

According to Richard Shortt

Today is Tax Free Day!

All of this year so far, up until today, May 24, you have been working for
the government. I bet that makes you feel good.
So Helen and Michael say that for the rest of the year you can work for
yourself and your family.

Australians got a head start on us of course - their Tax Free Day was 10
days ago. But then are we competitive with Australia in anything now?

Remember though, our government has been so nice to us because in three years time the Tax Free Day will occur about 10 minutes earlier. Now there's something to look forward to!

Enjoy the day everyone!

The Westin LAX

Caught up with my cousin Caleb again before he flew off to Taipei. He was in LA for the E3 computer conference. He is a graphic artist for a computer game company...He seems to be doing good......

Saddam in his undies

Photo's of Saddam Hussein were published today in the NY Post, as he was running around in his Y fronts in his prison cell.... There is talk that the photo's may have breached the Geneva convention? Well, the photo's have already been published and it is thought that they are over 1 year old. Wonder who released the photo's?

NZ Budget scam

The budget produced by the Labour Government in NZ and announced yesterday was a massive disappointment for most, and a kick in the b$%s to the people having to wait until 2008 to get as much as $10 per week extra for all their hard work. At the bottom of the tax scale......expect 67 cents over and above what you earn now per week....
Woopie..... I would have thought Labour would have used more carrot tactics considering it is an election year. Shame on Cullen.

LAX gun range

Just got back from the LAX gun range on Manchester Blvd. I went with Greg and Ananda. Ananda just got back from active service in Iraq. Ananda brought his pistol grip shotgun, and a 45 Glock. I hired a 9mm Glock and Greg hired a 9mm Sig. We all had a lot of fun, and managed to actually hit a bullseye or two. If you visit LA from anywhere in the world, it is always a good time at the firing range. I got some good photo's which I will post on the web site later.

Villaraigosa Beats Hahn in L.A. Mayor's Race

According to Fox News this morning, Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa has trounced Mayor James Hahn to become the city's first Hispanic mayor in more than a century, as voters embraced the promise of change in a metropolis troubled by gridlock, gangs and failing schools.

With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Villaraigosa had 260,721 votes, or 59 percent, to 183,749 votes, or 41 percent, for Hahn. A very poor turnout indeed considering that there is many millions of people in Los Angeles.

The election will have an impact even beyond Los Angeles. Villaraigosa's decisive victory immediately places him among the front rank of the nation's Latino political elite, while his city becomes the largest in America to be led by a Hispanic mayor.

When he is sworn in July 1, Villaraigosa will become the first Hispanic mayor of Los Angeles since 1872, back when the city was merely a dusty outpost of only about 5,000 residents.

Hahn, the scion of a prominent political family, becomes the first Los Angeles mayor in 32 years to be bounced from office.

Very interesting indeed. you can check out more about LA's next Mayor at www.antonio2005.com

Original Riddler on Batman dies

Actor Frank Gorshin, best known for his role as The Riddler on the "Batman" television series of the late 60's-early 70's, has died.

Gorshin died Tuesday at a Burbank hospital, according to "Entertainment Tonight." He had been hospitalized for some time with lung cancer, emphysema and pneumonia.

He was a particularly interesting actor.....He was born in 1934.... RIP

Kylie Minogue has cancer

Australian pop star Kylie Minogue has been diagnosed with breast cancer CNN announced today. She is due to turn 37 shortly and has become increasingly popular in the USA and around the world over the last couple of years. My cousin Caleb was mentioning just yesterday how attractive he felt she was.... I hope she gets better very soon.

Went to Viper Room last night

Caught up with my cousin Caleb for the first time in years yesterday. He is a graphic artist and is here in LA for a computer convention. We went to El Cholo for dinner and after that he wanted to go to the sunset strip so we went to Viper Room. The usual line up was not there and the doorman asked us if we were on the list. Well we were not, but we got in anyways. When we got to the front desk to pay, the lady asked for the secret password, but I didn't have it. She looked at the manager who shrugged and they let us in anyway. I was wondering if it was someones private party.....??? A lady called Sharon Ranson was playing and she was quite good. The room was not that packed, but just enough for it to be a good turn out. Half way through the show I noticed Nicole Ritchie in one corner, and Kimberly Stewart in the other. I beleive that Kimberly is taking Nicole's job in that show with Paris Hilton next year as the two of them (Ritchie and Hilton) have had some sort of argument??? Anyway, it was a great night and we all had fun.......

Walked to Venice Beach

I took a walk to Venice from Santa Monica today. It was foggy due to the fact the weather has really warmed up, and the ocean is yet too. There was an amazing amount of people on the beach.... I'd say well over 5000. It was a great walk, and it was mentioned that it may have been as much a 6 miles.....

Renee's tonight

I am off to Renee's tonight between 5th and Wilshire in Santa Monica. Gregory Johnson and Ted Brown put on a good show every Sunday when they are not touring. DJ VMO is looking to have a gig there soon........ Will keep you posted. Greg has just signed with a brilliant label here in USA and is about to take Australia by storm........Fun in the big city...

NZ Herald Poll

According to the NZ Herald this morning the poll taken last night shows some change in the popularity of NZ's political partys.

The polls are never really accurate, and it all depends how many people were polled and where it was, but it is an interesting indication.....


Labour down 1 to 44 per cent; Probably due to bad publicity and distrust in the leaders of the government.

National down 1 to 37; Maybe they need to pull something interesting out of the hat

New Zealand First up 1 to 8; Never underestimate Winston

Greens steady on 4 per cent; Interesting to see

Act down 1 to 2; Rodney and ACT can do it, not much time left though....Need some more publicity.

Maori Party up 1 to 2; Always will have some support

United Future steady on 1 Needs to win a seat or get 5% to stay in power

Progressives on 0.3. It's a start I guess.....

The election is due to be sometime in September at this stage.......

Winston Peters as NZ PM???

In todays NZ Herald Winston is once again in the news wth an article about the possibility that he could hold the balance of power after this years election as he did in 1996. The NZ Herald even goes as far as saying that he may try for the top job putting Mr Brash as the finance minister.... Well this is all heresay, but a very interesting article none the less......

Dr Brash call this "wild talk" not wanting to give Winston any rope, and Winston dismissed the idea as more irrelevant than impossible.... Never underestimate Winston!

I alway like what pops up in the news in election year....

Real Estate papers

The papers that I have been waiting for from the Dept of Real Estate have finally arrived. I did the necessary live scan fingerprints about 4 weeks ago, so now I just need to send the documentation back with the necessary cheque, as well as proof of residence, and the licence should be issued within 3 weeks...Here's hoping.

Beautiful weather

It was nice and warm in LA today. The temperature hit 75 degrees F or 24 degrees C. It is starting to turn into summer and it will not be long till the temp gets to 100 degrees F or 38 degrees C. It can get hotter than that in the Valley and desert, but thank goodness we get the ocean breeze here by Santa Monica...

Cousin coming to town

My cousin Caleb is coming to town to go to some computer show at the LA convention center. It also appears that Regan Morgan is coming to town for the same show, so it should be a good few days of catching up. For those of you in NZ you may remember Caleb from a particularly action filled party that was held by Aaron at the Sebel Suites 5 years ago.........

Pentagon want to shut 33 military bases

The Defense Department on Friday proposed shutting down 33 of the 318 major military bases across the United States.

The Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said it will save the US Government $48.8 billion dollars over the next 20 years, not to mention the revenue gathering when the lucrative propertys are sold to willing developers.......

I am wondering at this point of time as to why this is being done, or shall I say recommended. A lot of communties rely on the Military bases and the personel working there to keep there towns running. The closures could reek havoc...

Maybe they will have a few spare F16's for NZ to buy if this all goes throough..THat would be good for NZ's defense.....

NZ property prices

I viewed with great interest the information published in the NZ Herald today about the increase in the price of property in NZ over the last few years.

Over the past three years the economy has been riding the wave of a booming housing market so it says.

After going sideways for about four years, house prices on average rose about 47 per cent over 2002-04 and are still going up. I should have brought the property in Kingsland I liked in 2002 for $280,000......

The number of sales peaked in late 2003 but after falling steadily for most of last year got a second wind from a mortgage rate price war among the banks towards the end of the year. If the mortgage rates were as low in NZ as they are here in the USA the prices would be absolutly out of control. Rates are as low as 5.3% p.a here fixed for 30 years.....Lower even if you are in certain financial brackets.

I always have thought that property is one of the best investments available.

Updated Blog

I updated the blog with some links to various sites and blogs I like to look at regularly......Have a great day.

NZ Rugby World Cup bid 2011

As reported in the New Zealand Herald today, NZ will lodge a bid to host the 2011 rugby world cup. The Minister of sport Mr Trevor Mallard announced this....

If the bid is successful, the Government and NZRU will make cash contributions towards costs of $20 million and $10 million respectively, Mr Mallard said in a statement.

The study had highlighted "significant benefits" of staging the cup, adding an estimated $408 million to the economy and tax revenue of more than $90 million.


The bid document will be lodged with the International Rugby Board (IRB) in Dublin later this week.

The IRB council was expected to make a decision on the venue for the 2011 tournament at its November board meeting.


If we are successful, forty-eight games will be played throughout the tournament, with many in provincial New Zealand.

This will be great if NZ wins the bid..........

Capitol Building evacuated

The USA Capitol Building and most of the White House have been evacuated.....It seems that it was a run away small plane and all seems to be fine now. Interesting when you turn on Fox news and something like this is happening....

Heather Graham at Hotel Cafe

Went to a packed house at The Hotel Cafe in Hollywood last night to watch Greg Johnson and Ted Brown perform. It was a great night and I was a bit off guard when none other than Heather Graham walked right into me.......I couldn't help myself but to think of Roller Girl...
Anyways another fun night in Los Angeles.....

Job interviews......

I have been scoping the Real Estate market in Los Angeles and searching for the right place to hang my licence. So far I have been to Remax which has a good commission structure and is the largest Real Estate organisation in the world. I have also been to Keller Williams which started in Texas and is now the 5th largest Real Estate organisation in the USA. I am off to Coldwell Banker next week which has the most coverage around this area, but the commission rates are a bit lower, and training is a bit higher on the agenda than the others.
I have another meeting with the Vice President of the Remax organisation on Tuesday, and so far I like what Remax has to offer.
Will keep you posted.....

Passed the California Real Estate Exam

According to the Department of Real Estate's web site, I passed my California Real Estate Exam. I just need to apply for the license now and wait till it gets processed, as well as find the right company to work for....... WOO HOO.

Santa Barbara 2

I am off to see Peter at Santa Barbara Exotics again. He has a large box of passionfruit for me for a very reasonable fee.........
Dinner at Bunny and Blairs tonight.....

Got Tiger OS X 10.4

I purchased Apple's new Tiger operating system for my i mac today. It is all very interesting and I like the updates. If you don't have an Apple get one, and if you have an Apple, get Tiger.

Tahoe

Just got back from Tahoe with Nick. We were looking at properties and managed to find a beautiful brand new home at Squaw in Olympic Valley. The location is beautiful and I managed to see lots of snow. The lake is magnificent and the facilities at the Resort were great with skiing still available. I look forwards to heading back to Tahoe sometime soon.

Off to Tahoe

I completed the Real Estate exam at the Los Angeles convention center yesterday. There was 3200 people also trying to pass the exam in the same room at the same time. I don't have a bad feeling about the exam, so I will be looking fowards to getting the results on May 3rd. Fingers are still crossed.
Off to Reno Nevada tonight. Going to rent a car from there and drive to Squaw Valley in or around Lake Tahoe Ca. Meant to be a bit cool there still, so best I pack my winter gear.

Exam

I had a good weekend of final study before my California Real Estate exam today. I am looking forwards to completing the exam and going to Lake Tahoe tomorrow to look at property. I need 70% to pass and I have done a lot of study, so heres hoping.

BMW M6

I was lucky enough to see a uundercover test BMW M6 today in Marina Del Rey. I cant wait to see the 507 hp beauty in production form. It will certainly give other luxury hi performance coupes a run for their money.

Visiting

My parents are visiting at the moment for another couple of days. We have been to Malibu, Orange County to the Crystal Cathedral, and tomorrow we will do some more looking around. It is nice to have them visit.

Hello Sunday

Hello Sunday...........Glad you found the blog again........:-)

Helens Flight

I hear via the Triple Johnson and CNN that NZ PM Helen Clark had a bit of a hair raising flight travelling from Rotorua to Wellington. It was said on CNN that the PM was badly bruised but is ok........ Wonder what JT will have to comment on about that........???????

Passionfruit

I managed to get in contact with the largest commercial grower of passionfruit in the USA. I like pssionfruit and they are hard to come by in USA unless you are keen to pay $2.99 each at Ralphs.
I am off to Santa Barbara tomorrow to purchase lots and lots of them for my own eating pleasure...... Can't wait.

Downtown LA

Went to the markets in downtown LA with the Triple Johnson and the Teddy Bear today. It is really exciting. We went to the fashon district and little Tokyo for lunch. I purchased some aftershave and had a good time.
Downtown LA is rather beautiful with character brick buildings and wide streets. Lots of older buildings are being converted to NY type loft apartments. It would be an interesting place to live.

Ventura

Went for a nice drive from Santa Monica north up the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), past Malibu and up to Ventura county. It is a truly beautiful drive and upon passing Oxnard I followed the road inland for about 20 miles. Realising that amongst the orange groves and strawberry fields I was getting further and further away from home, I turned around and brought some very nice strawberries from a road side stand. With all the rain that California has been having lately the PCH has a few areas where there had been some land slides. It closed part of the PCH south of Malibu, so I decided to drive on the historic Highway 101 back via the 405 to my place. It was trouble free, except for nearly running out of gas. I noticed a gentleman driving a Harley wearing a top hat for a helmet. I thought that that cant be legal so I pulled alongside this eccentric fellow only to see a cute Alaskian Malamute alive and well and stradling the fueltank happily riding along at 70mph. It was a unique sight and I guess it is something you'd only see in America.......

3 years today

3/27/05 It has been 3 years today since I moved to the USA. All is going well and I am glad to have made the move. Happy Easter.

Beautiful

It is a beautiful day here in Los Angeles. The sky is blue, there is a gentle breeze and the sun is shining. The temp is about 23 degrees C which isn't bad for the tail end of winter.

F1 Results Malaysia

Great race in Malaysia. I watched it live and was very impressed to see the Toyota of Jarno Trulli stick to the pace and complete the race in second place....the best result ever for Toyota. Disappointed with Jacques performance, I am wondering how long Sauber will retain his services. Fernando Alonso took the checkered flag, followed by Jarno, then a brilliant follow up for third spot by Nick Heidfeld form Williams BMW. A truly excellent race.

Malaysian Grand Prix

The 2005 Formula 1 season has already been more interesting this year than it was for most of the last 4 years. The qualifying has been split up into two days with the cumulative time calculated and the lowest time of the two days being the best time and pole position. The engine has to last for two races and only 1 tyre can be changed in a race without penalty unless it rains and rain tyres are allowed.
After the first of the two qualifying times were recorded yesterday, you can clearly see that the world champion Michael Schumacher is having a bit of a struggle to keep on top. He has qualified 12th so far and didn't even finish in Australia. He was forced to apologise to Nick Heidfeld of BMW Williams for a collision which took both of them out of the race without points. So far the srtongest team seems to be Ranault. The most disappointing performance so far for me is the lack of pace out of Jacques Villenueve in the Sauber. He is a favorite of mine, but seems to either have a bad car...( 4 years in a row ? ) or just not be focusing.... Hopefully he will pull one out today when the race is on. Below is the current qualifying times. The #1 time is currently about half a second quicker than last years pole of Michael Schumacher. Wow


1 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:32.582

2 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:32.672

3 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 1:32.765

12 Michael Schumacher 1:34.072

Study

I have now left my position of employment as of last week. I am studying for the California Real Estate exam which I expect to sit sometime in April. I am having a bit of a time getting into the study mode, but all is well and I will be a professional student in a very short period of time.

F1 Results

The first F1 Grand Prix race of the year in Melbourne Australia would have to be one of the best F1 races that I have seen in years. It was all very exciting and I was particularly pleased to see Red Bull racing keep up with the big boys. It would have been nice for Juan Pablo Montoya and McLaren to do better in the race, but I can tell that this year in F1 is going to be great. Cant wait for the next race in 2 weeks.