Fat Dog (Rotorua journey: Part 1)

When I first saw Fat Dog, I thought it’s a pet shop

I was wrong

Bacon and Egg pies

It’s a place that specializes in making dogs human beings fat

The food portion is unbelievable huge

and every single item on Fat Dog’s menu is so unbelievably yummy that you have no choice but to wolf down every single morsel on your plate even though your mind tells you not to

Bagels and salad

Just when I thought that Ronnie’s Café makes the best quiche in the world… I came across an even better one at Fat Dog

It’s not just a supersized version

There’s also more variety of vege in the quiche!
-    pumpkin, potato, capsicum, onion, broccoli, tomato, mushroom, etc

Gigantic Vege Quiche

The side salad is simply mind-blowing!
What I like most about it is that there’s no mayonnaise in the salad :)))

-    only fresh vege and healthy organic seasoning (I think it’s cranberry sauce)
(Mayonnaise is like… the most disgusting sauce. They’re made with raw egg white + vinegar + olive oil + lots of preservative to lengthen the shelf life)

Too bad I didn't get to try the dessert... They look absolutely heavenly

 The fruit salad is mediocre, though. Nice in photo only

It has a nice & cozy ambience

Fat Dog's own homemade beverages :)

Opening Hours

Open Sunday – Wednesday 8am till 9pm
Open Thursday to Saturday 8am till 9.30pm

Location
1161 Arawa Street, Rotorua, New Zealand
Just down from Rotorua's main information centre and directly opposite the Court House

Website
http://www.fatdogcafe.co.nz/

 

Fat Dog, I love you! Will be back some day!!!:):)

Hichi Limited

Best bargain for Airsoft Guns in New Zealand

If you're a fan of Airsoft guns and wargame materials, look no further than Hichi Limited:)
A visit to Hichi's shops felt like a visit to Michael Jackson's Neverland ranch
I first found out about Hichi Limited while browsing through  TradeMe http://www.trademe.co.nz/

Hichi Limited was established in 2003 and sells more than 300 types of products :)

More than 60 types of Airsoft guns - Double Eagle, Tokyo Marui, HFC, KSC, CYMA and et cetera.

BB Bullets

Underwear

Colourful clocks

Funny t-shirts

Bullet-proof jackets

Kids' helmets
Belts

 
Pocket knives (more than 50 variety)

American flag tote bag

Colourful boxers

Hichi Limited
Location:

(Retail)
Shop VW7,
Victoria Park Market,
210 Victoria St,
Auckland City,
New Zealand
Tel: +64 9 3790519

(Wholesale)
150 Great South Rd,
Papatoetoe,
Auckand,
New Zealand
Tel: +64 9 2782227

E-mail: tagetshooter@hotmail.com

Special discounts are available for purchases over NZD$100.

Banking in New Zealand

Not too long ago, New Zealand's one of the countries with the highest budget surplus in the world.
But when the New Zealand Labout Party lost the election, they went on a spending spree... leaving the small population of 4.3 million people with heavy debt & high taxes.
Needless to say, I was a bit apprehensive about traveling in Auckland during this tough economic time...
But I suppose any probable banking trouble won't affect me much if I choose to transfer my money to a bank with good ratings.

So, before I got here, I downloaded a long list of banks in New Zealand, and checked the ratings - a tedious process which got me scratching my head.
How on earth am I supposed to know what AAA mean? -AA?

The only AAA that I knew before this was the AAA size battery
Also,... how would I know whether or no the bank's rating is really AAA or if it's just good PR?
(While my sis & bro-in-law are Finance geniuses, I'm the exact oposite)

Anyway, I didn't get to consult them before I left KL, so when I got here... I just made a wild guess on which bank would be deemed too big to fail - and put all my eggs there.

Let me introduce you to the ANZ Giant

Why I think it would be too big too fail...

- It's based in Australia.

- It also bought over the National Bank of New Zealand  + a few other banks

If it ever fails, we won't just be seeing a demonstration on Auckland's Queen St

Heck, there'd be demonstrations on the Queen Streets in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Wellington, Christchurch and everywhere else in the Asia Pacific!

So, before I got here, I wondered why the owners of Central Hostel would open an account with an unheard of ASB Bank.

Now I know why...
& I think I kind of regretted using ANZ Bank

Why?
They leverage on the fact that they're too big to fail - and they charge a premium for their services

For example, ATM (Everyday Banking) card users are charged a $5 monthly fee
Other banks here do it for free.
You only pay charges if you exceed the max transactions per month
And... if you're an ANZ customer, you really have no choice but to open an "Everyday Banking" account
Why?
The Savings account don't come with any bank book or bank statements!
It's just an online bank account!

Plagiarism is really cool! :)

The "Public Parking" signboards in Auckland wouldn’t have caught my attention if it weren’t because they look so similar to Guardian Pharmacy’s logo…

- the exact same shade of blue & orange! :)

I wouldn’t have noticed the VLGVLGARIARI Hair Stylist ...

if weren’t because it sounds so much like…

(VLGVLGARIARI... Gosh, what a mouthful! That's probably the most difficult tounge-twister I've ever come across in my life)
Haha... whoever who came up with that name must be a genius!

You see, a local Malaysian restaurant "McCurry" was sued by McDonald's for using the word "Mc"
But the owner of VLGVLGARIARI cleverly protected himself from potential plagiarism charges from BULGARI by dropping the "B"

So, I guess we can safely name a new biz as "Oosoftsoft" without worring about Microsoft coming after us:)

Sorry, I can't provide any insight on how VLGVLGARIARI is pronounced
It probably has more consonants than words in the Polish dictionary
Errm, let's give it a try...Vulgar-vulgar-airy-airy?????

The Kiwi way of weather reporting

Do you know how we get our daily scoops of weather news here? ;)

We don’t even need a weatherman

Words appear miraculously on sidewalks *grin*

You probably think I’m exaggerating

I can understand why you’d be dubious…

I also thought it was a hoax until I was greeted by this sight

and this...

Freaky, huh?

That’s the Kiwi way of weather reporting to you, kiddo ;)

Charred Cheese, Bacon and Herb Scone at Starbucks Coffee

Errm... I didn't know that Starbucks Coffee would be so severely affected by the recession that they would resort to serving charred scones to patrons in order to cut cost ;p

Beeeaauuutiful!!!

The Barista who served me this masterpiece either took advantage of my good nature... or just didn't have a single clue about what's non-edible...

I didn't kick up a fuss, but surely, she could have put herself in my position and questioned why I'd want to pay for that thing!

Spinach and Feta Muffin - a must-try kiwi specialty

At last,… I have found something at Esquires Coffee that I can’t possibly complain about:)
(When it comes to food, I'm quite easy to please. Not at all a picky eater. So, you can imagine how bad the food is at Esquires Coffee if even someone like me would complain about them)

Anyway, Esquires Coffee's Spinach and Feta Muffin is so good that it’s probably worth every single cent of the wifi premium that Esquires Coffee usually charges for its food items

Savoury muffin is quite a common delicacy in New Zealand
But to me, it’s a delightful novelty!

Crunchy on the outside, warm and soft on the inside… and oozes with an absolutely bewitching aroma of rich feta cheese and fresh spinach
+ no traces of sugar
- so this is a guilt-free snack that even my Dad (a diabetic) could enjoy

I like the Spinach and Feta Muffin so much that I spent the past few days café hopping and trying out the savoury muffins elsewhere - mainly in Parnell.

Now, a quick list of my favourites -

1) Citron Vert's Spinach and Feta Muffin

This is definitely my top favourite!:)
I like it even more than I like Esquires Coffee's version
There's more to Citron Vert's muffin than just spinach and feta
The bits of onion + spices make it all the more interesting
- it tastes a bit like an improved version of the Indian delicacy "vadai"

Address:
Citron Vert Cafe & Bistro

129-131, Parnell Road,
Parnell, Auckland

Tel:
09-377 3080
Website: http://www.citronvert.co.nz/

2) If you'd prefer a less fattening savoury muffin, try Dunk Cafe's vege muffin

Address:
Dunk Cafe, 297 Parnell Rd, Parnell, Auckland

Tel: 09-377 2414

Douglas St, Ponsonby

Advertorial

Found out about a nice place in Ponsonby that has a room for rent, which also provides internet access - 80GB monthly to be shared between 6 people:) Bet you can't find a better internet deal anywhere else

The rent is only $170 per week - inclusive of water, electricity, free landline calls, internet & also basic amenities - food, washing powder, soap, toothpaste... etc

No. of bedrooms = 6
No. of toilets and bathrooms = 2

A well-stocked kitchen...

According to Angel, "Many of the residents here are students. So, we always ensure that their needs are well taken care of. We provide fast broadband internet for easy uploading of videos and audio clip, and anyone here can cook 3 meals without having to pay anything extra."

Cooking utensils and other kitchenware are provided

Pots and pans of various shapes and sizes... haha

Spices...

Washing machine and dryer are available...

A nice lounge..

TV:)

But, you'd have to be a cat lover.... hehe
There are 4 cats living here at the moment
Meow!

For more information, contact Angel Joseph Gordon at angeljosephgordon@hotmail.com

Everything you need is provided except for room furnishing.  Special arrangements can be made for anyone requiring assistance with purchasing and transporting furniture.

Central Hostel, Auckland City

Pauline gave me an upgrade to a bigger room when I arrived at Central Hostel *big grin*, which was nice while it lasted :)

It's still smaller than my bedroom back in KL, but quite cosy as it comes equipped with an electric heater.

After a blissful week in the big room, it's time to move to in to the smaller room (pic below). 

At the first glance, I was thinking, "Gosh... what am I getting myself into - leaving my comfy room in KL and living in small pigeon boxes here in Auckland?"

But it didn't take me long to start adoring my small little place in a very central location. It's just 1/2 minute walk to SkyCity Metro

 

 It's right beside AUT

This is one of my favourite buildings near the upper Queen St area
It's located right opposite SkyCity Metro, adjoining the Aotea Square

Rental : NZD$150/week, includes water & electricity
For more information about Central Hostel, www.centralhostel.co.nz

Lopsided truck outside Central Hostel

This lopsided truck was parked right outside Central Hostel!
It looked like it would fall over and crash into the building any minute
*shudders*

What is BAXI?

BAXI or "bicycle taxi" is the kiwi version of "beca" (Malay) or "tuk-tuk" (Thai) - an eco-friendly pedicab.

 

BAXIs are actually large tricycles professionally built by certified engineers. The pilots sit in front of 2 passengers. 

BAXIs also come equipped safety features such as screwed on arm rests, wheel guards, rear disc brakes, front and rear lights, turning indicators, rear view mirrors and even cheerful sounding bells!  

At $5 per ride from mid Queen St to lower Queen St, it is perhaps a bit pricey. But I'm sure it'll be a fun experience :)

 

Parnell Village, Auckland City

Parnell Village is fast becoming my favourite place in Auckland City :)
The cafes here provide unlimited free wireless

 

It's also a great place for photography

Parnell's such a charming little town - quaint, cheerful looking shops, cosy cafes + colourful plants

Good food:)
On my first visit, I stopped by at Alphabet to try the chilli and cheese scone. It was absolutely yummy!

A cute English-style telephone booth...

Colourful signboards... :)