Something that doesn't seem to have reached any kind of settlement over in NZ is one great oversight of mankind and basic humanity. It transpires that much to my surprise, and indeed I was very very surprised to learn that schools here do not have a dinner lady!! Guys here tell me that it's been this way for over 20 years!! Kids have to take their own dinner money to school or usually take their own food in. This to me is an outrage. Surely a man such as John Key or some of these other politicians can see their way to paying for a simple frikn' pleasure of being at school such as the dinner lady!? This is something I always took for granted at my education establishment in the UK, we always got these basics, paid for by the taxes of working people. Honestly, if we didn't have custard and those types of basics at school, the place would have been deserted (pardon the pun.) Even the teachers got free meals as a perk of the job. In fact, I doubt even the teachers would have attended, if the meals weren't provided. The man who solves this, will truly win over here. You can thank me later John...

It is obvious to see from the media reports that the recent nursing strike in Sydney coupled with the Police force strike is bound to have disasterous consequences. My estimation is that they will probably be sacked and fresh staff taken in from overseas. A similar situation is occuring in NZ with lack of gainful employment around, many choosing to take government benefits. The problem with this is that government will accrue a population's worth of debt, creating social problems etc.

It is good to see some closure at last on the management of pike mine being legally disciplined, however it is all very sad in reality. I do not know how these communities will manage.

The bin work is proving interesting. You can tell a lot about people from the type of crap they throw away. The lower classes tend to junk a lot of electronics and brik a brak like designer clothes, and the upper classes tend to go through alcohol, a lot of alcohol, did i mention a lot of alcohol? Not to be confused with the lower classes that go through a lot of alcohol, because they do, indeed drink a lot too, but you can judge it by the area and the surroundings. The lowers tend to drink a lot of beers, like stacks, the uppers like wines. Also, the wealthy tend to pack their bins full and put in bits of awkward heavy stuff, like bits of wood or heaps of grasscuttings. I've never experienced looking at rubbish often, partly because my old dear used to burn all of our rubbish at home. The council bin men stopped coming to our place over 15 years ago despite the fact we were still paying taxes, they simply wouldn't show up. I told my mother several times to call them and get them to do the job, but she simply couldn't be bothered and ended up burning all waste out the back. This honestly was how we dealt with the rubbish for over a decade. Often I'd return home from work, to have to throw petrol over a stack of rubbish, maybe a months worth and just light it up in one fell swoop, watch it burn off over an evening, job done. Told you, you can tell a lot about people about how they deal with rubbish.

I have decided that the best place in the world right now is Wellington, NZ. I been all around NZ and make no mistake, a lot of it blows really hard, but Wellington is the exception. The only other notable place of worth (to me) was Napier. I hear there is also a good side to Auckland, although I never saw it when I was there... It's damn windy in Wellington, and hanging onto the back of a bin lorry for hours at a time, isn't really ideal for maintaining any kind of hairstyle, but you do get a good view that's for sure. It's like arm wrestling for 8 hours at a time. My girlfriend here and I enjoy what little time we get together. I would like to settle here properly, but it's all a little complicated just now. The real reason I like it here is basically the weather, not the glam highflyer stuff, although I can handle that smartly too, just the basic mother nature weather doesn't seem to have affected NZ as it has the rest of the world. My current take on things would be that Wellington is probably the safest city in the world just now, and that would be an overall judgement, regarding everything from crimerates to weather fluctucations.

After gaining gainful employment as a part time bin man in New Zealand / unpaid farm labourer, things are finally beginning to look up. I only have a few months left on my Visa as a tourist here and if I don't get a proper job offer could possibly be deported which would be very embarrasing, especially for my father who is a high ranking army person that would have to foot the bill, as I can not afford it nor my mother. I see from the media that the president of Thailand is now flooded also and that the prime minister of debt ridden Italy has quit. These are very tough times, especially for anyone with kids, what future is there for them now?

So after months of trying to find paid employment here in NZ I am at my ends tether. I have phoned round heaps and went and physically seen employers. Today I went down to Bunnings for an interview to find it was a group interview with 8 other candidates there. The interview went quite well, as could be expected, but whether a solid job materialises out of it is another story. My hopes are high though and I'd give it my best shot if I was hired.