and just like that. Im gone again.
I break the silence after two months of silence, the moment where I prepare to move to a new location again.

I ve been in New Zealand for 3 months. Wait, let s call it what it is: Auckland. Because Auckland isn't necessarily New Zealand.

It has been a melancholic trip where I lost my focus for a while, and as usual, the moment that I decide to leave, I start to regain my confidence and get back in the zone.

I ve come to realize that my life can be dissected into 3 months-periods.
Three months of being in LA, three months of Mumbai, three months LA again, 3 months Auckland, another 3 months Auckland, and now my final 3 months Auckland. Meanwhile, my relationships seem to be doomed the 3 month-curse as well.
Material evidence to back this theory:
After every big 3 month-period in the last 3 years, my phone gets stolen (I have the receipts to prove it)

Is it karma? my 3 month-doom?

I dont know, I do know that this morning, after 3 months....my phone is gone.
(oh well, these last two weeks, I have been living in a backpackers, so it was bound to happen, I guess).

From the moment I arrived here at the beginning of October, I remembered why I didn't particularly like this town, it s grey, even when it s sunny. The town is very undefined -it could be the setting for any city without specific characteristics-, And even though it has some good bits, like all towns... I would call the town: very...plain... vanilla.

I wont go into details about these last 3 months, because even for me its a blurry blob of random events. They were challenges of perseverance, which I may have failed, as I am moving back to Europe.
And although sometimes dissappointment strikes, I have decided there will be no regrets. Not now, nor about any of the three months-periods before, because, really, what s the point?

Yet, you can never help but analyze what is, your life.

I m 27, a random age where in conventional standards, you should have a steady boyfriend or husband, - and maybe also already your first big break-up or divorce-. You should be pregnant, already have a kid -or at least have had The Talk - with longterm boyfriend or husband.
And finally, have a career, or a hint of one at least.

Although, I dont have the first two things sorted, and the hint of a career, is just a hint, not more... I find that my happiness -for now- lies in a different kind of knowledge.
More specifically, in the knowledge that I have friends and family, in a place that I call home, no matter where I go, or how long I go away for.
And really, even when politicians try to dictate disagreement and division, Belgium is not such a bad place to call home.

What I also figured out is that I have lost the romantic notion related to work.
Especially when the make-belief tries to sip thru in daily life, I start to appreciate it all for what it is: my life, my reality, my choices.

I know, it s a pretty basic knowledge, but this realization makes this 3 month-cycle completely worth it.

Meanwhile, these last days here.. I mentally prepare for the big sister-reunion in Sydney on friday- the oldest coming from Belgium, the youngest coming from Auckland, meeting the middle one, in the middle, Sydney, where she currently resides.

Sydney, where we will be spending 12 days together as sisters, and after not have passed more then 4hours together since puberty, I reckon, this to be quite the challenge, a good reality tv format.

So, while I prepare for the next three month-cycle of my life... I take it all in, I take it for what it is, vanilla Auckland.


PS While I write this story, somenbody from the frontdesk just came in to tell me that an honest man came and handed in the phone!!!!
The end of the karma-thing, Maybe??... maybe not...

Yes I know,
I realize I m slacking on the blog entries.
Blame it on getting acquainted with Facebook, blame it on having to sign a confidentiality agreement, blame it on the fact that there is nothing new to tell since last time I was here, and that it all isn't that exciting.
The main cause is probably, because I m feeling a little blue right now, stranded not knowing where to go next in my life. I wished I was feeling more inspired along the road of doubt.

Maybe it will come back, maybe it wont.
Until it does... I suggest all of you to read a good book; the tabloids, a glossy magazine or the back of a cereal box, it all beats these blog entries at the moment.

It s Movember-month in New Zealand...

What is Movember:

Movember (the month formally known as November) is a moustache growing charity event held during November each year.
At the start of Movember guys register with a clean shaven face. The Movember participants known as Mo Bros then have the remainder of the month to grow and groom their moustache and along the way raise as much money and awareness about male health issues, in particular prostate cancer as possible. Movember culminates at the end of the month at the gala partés. These glamorous and groomed events will see Tom Selleck and Borat look-a-likes battle it out for their chance to take home the prestigious Man of Movember title. (www.movember.com)

Women can sponsor a Mo-bro... or euh grow one themselves, or their armpit-hair...
hmmmm, classy alternative...

In the plane you see all the movies you wouldn't actually if you were on earth.
Like the Hollywoodblockbuster Evan Almighty, or 'the Best of Asia' movie 'Love is not all around'... Summary of this fantastic movie:

Chia-Bao, Ching-Ching and Che-Rong are very close friends. When Che-Rong cheats on Ching-Ching, she confides in Chia-Bao. Chia-Bao bumps into her ex-boyfriend and discovers the complicated relationship between her friends.

... I'll Say!!!!

Bangkok 01 november 2007 16h55

So I made a scene, so What.
The Woman at customs in Bangkok didn't speak english and wouldn't let me pass with my wodka-bottle (come to think of it...it sounds very trailor-trash when I write it down like this).
But I would not accept this stupid random rule again, as the very expensive bottle was purchased a gift in a Duty free shop in Heathrow.
The plane would just have to leave without me ... and the bottle.
Because, at that point, it really got on my nerves when all these international airports have their own ridiculous little rules just to keep up the safety-show.
Show, all show I realized. I figured this out during my september-trip thru Canada and the USA, when I was able to pass three airports with a big ass cutter knife in my carry-on bag (without knowing of course, - I know: it was a big oopsie).
Can you imagine, in London they even have an X-ray machine for shoes only. All part of the big scam, under the codename: keeping-up-appearances.

So Yes, I lost it with the wodka-bottle. And yes, my little Rain-man-episode helped. The wodka was coming with me! Jieha.

Ok, so, Yeah... I leave in 1 hours. Back to the Airport-euwh.. I know- , back to other side of the world, back to this blog.

I ll start up the story here where I left off last time.

'Cause as you might know by now, blogging goes better when I am abroad, so that s what I ll do.

More news after the long Voyage

the saga continues on:


http://the-world-according-to-ingrid.blogspot.com

This might come as quite the surprise to you all, but this will be the last entry on my blog, at least as ingridgoesnewzealand in New Zealand itself.
My time here has come to an end, I am coming home.
Time for a new destination, maybe not at the other side of the world, but there are new horizons to be discovered, challenging frontiers to be crossed.
This last week has been a week of rounding up formalities, organising my shit, quitting my job, heavy drinking with friends, but above all some random fun moments. Since the end of this chapter in my life is in sight, everything has accelerated and switched into a new gear.
New Zealand has been one hell of a ride. Okay, sometimes afraid of overheating, and difficulties going uphill, but over all, I did take the windy roads with a certain level of ease.
I came; I saw, and sometimes I was in awe. I cried, I was down, got up again to fall in love with Life, and the fact that I did (and am doing) it my way.
On the cheers of Gabriel Rios’s‘Broad daylight’ blasting thru the speakers of my Honda Prelude, I smile.
And scratch the last thing of my to do-list before I go:
car sold for 600 dollars.


What awaits me behind the bend?



Anyway, to all of you, it has been a pleasure sharing my thoughts, or virtually throwing it into the great unknown cyberspace, ready to be red by anyone or no one. I hope you enjoyed my therapy for coping with life downunder at the other side, where the water runs clockwise.

Natalie wanted me to put at least one normal picture of her on my blog, to be sure that there is no confusion, after that last picture on the ferry where she looked like she has walked off a B-horror-flick
To rectify this situation, I hereby put the only picture with the both of us, taken with the timer on a rock in Kaikoura.
And if you are wondering what that hell that thing is in between us… that is indeed a seal licking itself.Nice