Mission Impossible.

Job Update: even when flung at aforementioned bar, they said nisch nisch. Ouch. Apparently other people had had the same idea and gotten employed there first. I hate them.

On the up side I had an interview with a sales and marketing firm today that said: hey, you're friendly, we're thinking you can sell people crap. Not sure exactly what that all entails, but tomorrow I'll be shadowing someone to see if I like the work.

Here's to hoping I won't be one of those obnoxious people on street corners shoving coupons for 1/2 price curry lunch specials in everyone's face.



My potential future:


Hurrah for a college education.

Flavor of the Month

I’m such a dirty cad. Seriously, looking at the last few posts it was all this mushy, lovey dovey stuff about how Wellington is the coolest place ever—which, yes, it’s awesome, but I’m now…kinda…ready to move on. And it’s not Welly, it’s me. I just hope we can stay friends after this post.

Despite the cool things that are happening, I’m starting to get that familiar itchy feet feeling that tells me to pack it up and keep moving. Do you get it too? It begins gradually; I’ll go through my day and just feel discontent and unsettled. A couple more days will pass and it’s like nothing feels quite right, and then suddenly I realize: the itchy feet syndrome’s back. And the only remedy is to change something—my environs, what I'm doing, whatever, but until I do something nothing feels right. Hence the impending breakup of an otherwise healthy, flourishing relationship with Wellington. Insert sappy music.

Yet at the moment I can’t just throw my stuff in my bag and head off; I now have certain obligations here that I can't give up 1) because people are depending on me and I’d be a total @$$hole if I dropped the ball on them and 2) because Wellington is gonna be a pretty incredible place in the next month (to continue an already overextended metaphor: I’m now using Wellington).

So how to remedy the discontent in the meantime? By planning the next episode of my adventures and work my butt off to fund them! Yup, I’m giving into the man, forgoing the whole “work as it comes” motif and throwing myself at whatever bar will take me for the next month. In the last four weeks I’ve applied for about twenty to thirty really cool jobs, but, surprisingly enough, they want dependable people that are going to be around for a while. So with humility and only the slightest traces of desperation I’m forgoing the attempts at cool gigs like working at a gym, organic cafe or governmental agency and instead focusing on getting Mac’s Brew Bar to hire me: a place where there’s more travelers working than Kiwis and things like “overtime” and “benefits” are all pish-posh and humdrum. That’ll get me right through the month to when my parents come out and whisk Carly Ann and me off to explore the North Island—hurrah! Then they’ll take off, Carly Ann will return to Wellington and I’m thinking I’ll cruise about the Northland and Bay of Islands doing the Joe-average backpacker thing: surfing, hanging out in beach towns, perhaps picking up a filming gig if I can, fruit picking if must and then make my way down, once again, to the South Island for further exploration with a good buddy of mine.

And after that: Asia. I’m dying to go, particularly to Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. I’ll have a solid month and a half before needing to make my way state side, which I know isn’t a whole lot of time but enough to take a Thai kickboxing course, meet up with some NZ travelers who’re going there ahead of me, explore gorgeous places and fully appreciate the ridiculous exchange rate. Soooo….if you have any suggestions on places I really must see while there, lemme know.

Itchy feet thusly abated, I’ll do my best to live in the present moment and enjoy my last few weeks here in Wellington—and be sure to fill you in on the more worthwhile and blog-appropriate details.

Vagabond Dribble

I’m not sure I’m gonna be able to be a real person after all this. Seriously, the whole running around and doing whatever odd jobs pop up thing is a real good gig—of course it helps that I’m in a kick-ass place with kick-ass people. Seems everybody around is not only cool and interesting, they’re either out there supporting the arts or creating them. And it doesn’t come off as self-serving, as it often can in LA, but more as a big party where everybody gets to play. You wander the streets and there’s people littering the sidewalks at cafes, grooving to random free concerts, doing crazy flips in the skateboard park or packing out local theaters. This city’s passion and vitality are infectious. And I'm diggin it.

So the last few weeks have been totally random and fun—I’m all signed up with a couple temp agencies so everyday I keep my phone handy just in case I get called in to answer phones, file paperwork…or sell train tickets for The Police concert that happened last week. That was fun. I collected my necessaries at the Wellington train station and then got sent out to a very out of the way station with another dude. We wiled away the afternoon in our nifty MetLink jackets and approached passersby to see if they wanted to purchase return tickets. We’d then reach into our little fanny packs and pull out a very unofficial looking stub, punch a couple holes in the sucker and then take their money. Yeah. People trusted that.

So that was Friday. Saturday was filled up with auditions for some little projects—nothing that pays heaps, but, eh, that’s what train station gigs are for. Then Sunday Carly Ann and I spent the whole day wandering the city, visiting the Farmer’s Market, dancing at a reggae concert, eating sushi and finishing off the day with white wine in the park as we watched the sunset. No, we are not dating. Yesterday was museum day, complete with a string quartet accompanying a dude that plays whalebone instruments that was freaking amazing. Then after working a couple of hours at the Fringe Festival headquarters we headed home to cook up a curried veggie feast and yuck it up with our flat mates and our buddy Jim.

This morning was fittings for my costume as an extra for this futuristic, action movie. It’s not for a few weeks, but they called me in today to get all suited up. Can I just say that “acting” is the best gig ever? I’m getting paid to play dress up. My 4-year-old self thinks I’m awesome. In fact, the outfit I get to wear is this designer dress that is without a doubt the most expensive thing I’ve ever put on—plus it’s really cute. And the hot little black suede wedges might just accidentally walk off set with me. Oops. I put “acting” in quotes because, from what I can tell, my part is to amble along a street behind the real actors. Amble. I can do that. I’ll let ya know how it goes.

So that’s my life! Happy times, very happy times. And with some incredibly awesome people coming to visit me over the next couple months, I’m pretty much walking on Cloud 9. Love y’all and thanks for the updates!!! It’s so great to hear what each of you are doing :-) Rock, rock on.

PS I put up my first attempt at a website—you’ll find it at chaibait.com. I know it’s not real great or anything, so if you have any opinions on how I can make it better content/look-wise just lemme know! Thanks dudes.

Urban Immersion

Alright, holiday break’s over and we’re back in business. I certainly hope your 2008 is going splendidly. From what I hear there’s some sort of primary something-or-other going on over there, yeah? Maybe? I dunno, I thought I heard something like that. Ya’ll have fun doing your patriotic duty.

As for me, I am still being a bum. And a very happy bum at that. I actually just found out about an hour ago that I made it into a Wellington Fringe Festival show! Quick note for non-theater nerds: fringe festivals happen at various parts of the year all over the world and are essentially a month long celebration of theater. You see crazy costumed people wandering the streets handing out fliers for the dozens, even hundreds of shows going on. They range from really good and innovative to painfully bad, so when you wander into a show space, you’re kinda rolling the dice.

Aside, er, aside: I’m excited. I came to Wellington with the purpose of auditioning for Fringe shows but was finding this to be quite a bit tougher than expected. Turns out there aren’t just audition notices wallpapering every street corner. Instead I’ve spent the last few weeks rooting around the city, theaters and various Internet sites to no avail. That is until tonight. So I’m at the internet café at about 6:50 this evening printing out some resumes to hand out to some local pubs when I turn around—and there it is. The audition sign:

Auditions! Being held 10 January from 5:30-7:30. Call blah blah blah for audition materials and more information. Address: blah blah

I’d left my phone back at home and I wasn’t exactly packing my headshot and resume with me, but I thought, eh, I got forty minutes, we’ll go see if they need an American chick. So off I went across town, peeled in, read over the script, gave my reading and I have a part! Granted, they were getting a bit desperate for actors (only 5 had showed up for the 2 parts they were casting) and my American accent was the most believable for the role (go figure), but I’m still gonna be excited and I hope you will be with me. It actually is a really cool show: commedia d’ell arte influences and all that. I play Jack and have a really sweet costume. I’ll fill you in on all that in the coming weeks.

And what have I been doing with myself other than that?

Well, besides being fantastically ill Monday (I’ll save you those details, and no, I was not hung over thank you) I have spent the last couple days wandering into town to edit at the gorgeous, happening Wellington library. I’m working on my first officially paid free-lance film gig, hurrah! The week around New Year I got to hang out with a bunch of “skiffies”, crazy sailors who specialize in racing the 12ft skiff class. These are quick and dangerous little boats that capsize as much as …insert your favorite political joke here. Ex: Bill gives Hillary Clinton supportive nods. In fact, why don’t you post it in the comments, I’d love to hear ‘em…Each day the photographer, Garrick, would pick me up at 9 and we’d spend the whole day in the chase boats filming away. Though most of my shots are pretty shaky, I had a blast and am having fun putting together a rockin little dvd for the boys. I’ll put up a promo within the next week. Good times.

From what I’ve heard at home people are having some really good stuff happen, from weddings to jobs to travels, so boring or no pop me an update if you feel like it! Miss you all :)

Kiwi Christmas.

Ever more pics at http://www.flickr.com/photos/8151765@N03/?saved=1

Well there’s that then, my first Christmas away from home’s over and done with. And you know what? I had a blast. I’m currently wading into the job hunt to fund my next adventures as well as rooting around for auditions and free lance film jobs, so I’ll let you know what comes of that.

That being said, here’s a rough outline of how the Kiwi Christmas went down:

1. Carly Ann and I woke up early (of course, it was Christmas after all) and laid on our blow up mattress talking about what we’d be doing if we were celebrating at home.
2. I made some kick ass blueberry muffins while Carly Ann started working her magic on her traditional Puerto Rican food.
3. There are these popper things that everyone gets here that make a loud, well, pop, when you pull them open and inside there’s a really bad joke and a paper crown. You see people all over the city wandering around in these silly hats the whole week leading up to Christmas. An example of said bad joke: “What do you get when you cross a fish and two elephants? Swimming Trunks”. Yup, I told ya. Bad.
4. In an apparent move to embrace our changing interests, Santa put Mac’s Gold Malt Lager in each of our stockings. I admire his ability to adapt.
5. My amazing family sent along a box with all sorts of happy things to open on Christmas morning. Thanks guys!!!!
6. Then there was lots of movie watching, cooking, sitting around, greeting our French buddy Edward, going out to peek in on other people’s Christmases. The Kiwis were a bit down because they usually have sunny Christmas BBQs on the beach, but unfortunately it was dumping rain so instead we saw them carting tin foil covered plates between houses.
7. After our early dinner the weather decided to clear a bit so we went to walk around the bay and up onto the lookout point above the city. Along the way we came upon an epic rope swing, and I do mean epic. I’ve seen many a rope swing in my day, but I think this may be the best one I’ve ever been on. Anything that mixes a great ride with a very real fear for your life is definitely a good time…well that is until Carly Ann gave it a go and ended up doing a butt slide down the steep, rocky embankment. We’re worried she may be taken to a women’s clinic with all of her deep purple bruises.
8. As we carted Carly Ann back home to survey the damage, we came across a slightly scruffy looking 20-something-guy eating a sandwich in the park. If that doesn’t scream lonely backpacker I don’t know what does. Within a couple minutes he had joined the crew and was heading back with us for more card games and movie watching. It was straight up Dickens.

So that’s the short and long of it. I hope all your holidays are merry and good and that your New Year is as thrilling as an epic rope swing…unless of course your name is Carly Ann.

PS If you are female, see Enchanted. I saw it with the girls last night and totally loved it. If you’re male, I hope whatever woman you’re with has enough sense to leave you at home while she goes to see it. For both your sakes.

Wellington/FK Promo Video

Heelllloooooo!
So I took the ferry from the Picton to Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. I have to admit, the minute I landed I was about ready to turn around and head back to the South Island. To suddenly go from a place inhabited by more sheep than people to a huge city complete with sky scrapers and taxi drivers was a bit of a shock. Add to the fact that I was driving for the first time on the wrong side of the road in my boss' very nice SUV and I was a bit on sensory overload. Luckily I'm settling in and starting to really dig the busy, artsy scene here. Plus, random acquaintances I've met throughout my travels keep popping up, so that's good fun. I'm sure that soon I'll be sipping soy cappuccinos in my Ray Bans and skinny jeans with the best of them. While I work out being a Wellingtonian hipster, here's a link to a promo video I made for Flying Kiwi for ya--it's not the best quality since it's on the web, but it'll give you a good idea of what I've gotten to be a part of. Good times. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8679505182594571089

Possum Aplenty

Alright, they're all bass ackwards, but I added some new pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8151765@N03/sets/72157603278592741/

Okay, made it to Sunny Nelson! Where, ironically enough, it’s currently rainy and drizzly. Ah, well, it gives me reason to sit down and update y’all with my current week’s adventures.


Flying Kiwi proved to be even more awesome the second time round. The group that I hopped on with was a whole mix of nationalities—we had representatives from Ireland, South Africa, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Holland, Belgium, France and even another American. The crew had already been traveling around together for a few weeks and so were an unstoppable force of good times and happy carousing. From watching shooting stars in our camp on the northern part of Lake Wanaka to cycle rides, rain drenched glacier walks and rugby lessons, I had an awesome week. Oh and I went skydiving. That was good fun too.


Thus far, the West Coast and Abel Tasman region are my favorite places in New Zealand. They’re everything you’ve dreamed NZ to be: rugged, full of crazy people and completely gorgeous. One of my favorite stops was the Bush Man Experience. A white bearded man, who in any other part of the world would be institutionalized, runs a cafe/museum whose decor is a lesson in the many uses of possum skin. Let’s just say the seat covers gave me the heebie jeebies. The specialty of the cafÈ is possum pies and the museum is chock full of hunting pictures and equipment. Yes, this man is the essential tourism entrepreneur, charging suckers like myself $5 so that we can observe his shotgun collection, feed his wild boar and then watch his special documentary on the Kiwi tradition of capturing live game. Any film that begins with "Danger Zone" throbbing beneath video of a shotgun-armed man in a helicopter taking aim at various wild game is automatically high on my must-see list, I tell you what.


I have to say, though, it is well worth your ticket to New Zealand to experience that movie. Apparently the NZ government paid hunters to "control" the deer population back in the 70s, up until one forward thinking hunter realized that there was a market for red deer meat in Germany. So the hunters became trappers, capturing live animals to bring back to a deer farm. Easy, right? Wrong. These trappers decided the best way to get live game was to jump from a helicopter onto the fleeing animal’s back, wrestle them to the ground and then hog tie them so that they can be carted away, ankle up, beneath the helicopter. I’m not kidding. Needless to say, the end of the film gives tribute to all the good men who gave their lives to the cause.


Anyhow, I put the link for more pictures up at the beginning of the post. There’s not too many, but that’ll give you an idea of some of the gorgeous places I’ve gotten to go through. I hope all your Xmas and Chanukah and New Years’ preparations are going well—and don’t you worry, I’ll have a permanent address soon so you can send me all the holiday gifts you want. Bank transfers are also appreciated. Seriously. Just pop in a few thousand, I won’t mind. Love and miss you guys!!!