Rant

Brilliant win against the poms. Now can we please stop hearing about:

1. How they don't like the Haka. Please shut up. Oh "It's very intimidating"...no shit, I believe that's the idea. These English dip shits have no concept of it, and therefore should not voice there opinion at all. It's a fuckin joke.
2. How brilliant and gallant the English are, heads held high. Arse. They got beaten fair and bloody square. Even with 14 men on the field they didn't look close. Brilliant.
3. How we don't deserve to host the World Cup. Wankers. Every person over hear is complaining that the japs didn't get it. Some twat said we will not even full the stadiums, because a few on the Lions Tour were not full! NZ bashing is well and alive my friends!

I'm sure I had more to complain about, but with large hangover clouding my thought's will save for later. Lets just smash the Scot's, and piss of home. Love the Irish, but over anything to do with English sport!

Had a great night on the gas though. Loving the 2.30pm kick off's, really sets up the night. Right, rant over.

duChats

Get off the couch you lazy sod!

For those of you who have been tracking our job progress, I am pleased to inform that we are at least one job closer to our ultimate goal!

I managed to pick a job up this week, via an amazing ability to steer at the phone till it rings, and then get employed thru what can only be described as sheer desperation and a mild case of cabin fever. A Lovely little seat has been reserved at HP (Hewlett Packard) on their service desk for me. 3 Month contract, which suits all parties down to the ground.

Have had 2 exhausting days at the coal face, and Friday night came with much enthusiasm indeed. It's really hard to describe going back to work after 2 months of late starts (sleep ins) and much viewing of Oprah and Discovery channel (American Chooper and Mythbusters are my favs). Having witnessed some of the levels of work ethic so far, it seems not to be to far removed from my work levels in the past 2 months. But no doubt it will pick up! Was extremely disappointed re: the dress standard, looks like the 2 Suits purchased on recent trip to the Orient with be gathering a bit of dust for the time being. Might have to initiate formal Fridays.....Beezer.

So big Steveo has a few offers on the table and will be adding his little story very shortly.

P.s. Its really good to be surrounded by Geeks again, its like a home coming of sorts...but with out the StarTrek uniforms...maybe thats Wednesdays getup!

All Blacks, MacKay and O'Driscoll

So then came Saturday, Test day. We had hoped to maybe get tickets for this huge game, but in lieu of the Fire, we really had no hope. Because of the location of Lansdowne Rd being very close to town, Test match days seem to turn into one big Pub crawl down to the game. So when in Dublin...
We had a few more visitors as well, Emma and her two friends, Naomi and Ali were all down from Belfast, so we thought being the locals we would show them around. Off to Searsons on Baggott st. This place is located only down the rd, so as you can imagine it was packed tighter than the North Stand would have been...but wasn't because they were all in this bar!!! Even managed to meet up with Buzz and a few others from back home before the match. So it all made for a great atmosphere, plenty of Kiwis and Irish all loving it. Every time Umaga was on screen the Irish booed, and we cheered, all in good fun though.

Little did I know that a tour highlight was just around the corner, in Burger King of all places. Celebrity stalking has become our game people, not A celebs, or even B, but our very own class of them. So after the Jordan Luck incident, I was happy and a little shocked to see my old Nemesis Hamish MacKay (TV3) right in the queue behind us. It was all Bad Mews for MacKay, as duChats lined him up from 20 out, bumping punters off left, right and center. Whopper firmly in hand, and managed to not spill a drop of drink, sensational. Camera please. He even managed to do a runing commentry while the photos was being snapped, classic.

After this we went into town, and headed to a few more hotspots, ending up at a bar which the name of escapes me, or I never knew...no matter. Was a fav of Emma's, Great place. We also happened to run into another local, Mr Brian O'Driscoll. Who was at the bar having a few drinks, so after a quick breakdown of the game I whipped out the trusty camera and got a photo of him with Steveo, lovely shot, right before I Speared him into his pint of Guinness....Priceless...send that to MasterCard! The bar security camera was inconclusive, but Mr Campbell said members of the public are welcome to come forward with incriminating footage...dam camera phones!!

This bar had a split personality, downstairs to the right a really cool dance bar and to the left Goth bar...guess which one we ended up in for a few painful minutes. Now at 2am it takes time to know ones surroundings, and this was no different. After making friends with Marilyn and his pin cushion girlfriend, it must have been due to my Black garb or just being a really nice guy. I'm sure the pin Cushion was eying my metal free face up, like an unplowed field to a farmer. It was exit stage right.

After watching an especially drunk Irishman (See Photo) try to dance on the bar stools once to often, the bouncer asked him to cut it out, but as a drunk man so often does he just kept on trying to dance on that stool, shirt off..the little Irishman that could. With the crowd anticipating some kind of stage dive, it was heading for disaster, now back home this guy would have been knuckled and turfed out quicker than a Samoan in Christchurch. But no, not in Dublin, the solution for the bouncer was to Remove the Chair, problem solved.

Kinda sums up the place for mine, brilliant end to the night. Off home for some Veda and Cheese!!

duChats

Londons Calling - Pre Test

After a great night with the Exponets, it would have been hard to top that kind of night, but luckily this is Dublin...City of bars... Lots of them.

We were expecting quite a few visitors for the weekend, and by Friday night the London rifraf had floated in on seedy tide. Duncan Wilson , Leyton Perris, Darryl (Doggy), Grant ( Grunta) and Mark Wells. Now I tell you there full names, because on the Elderstatemen Blog we have no secrets and hide behind no nicknames, unless I do not actually know the persons real name, then the 'Nick' will surface.

So after meeting a few of them at the Guinness factory for the obligatory Pint, I meet them all later on at a lovely little Italian, table for six anyone...tradgic start to the night. It was then off to Cafe in Sinne, very impressive bar, infact the best in Dublin. But tonight was not their night, and tequila ruined any 'chances' in this place. So off to what can only be described as Dublins "Poedium", what more can you say of a bar that goes from being 'Tumble Weed" empty, to can't swing a freckin cat in 30min. Rio's had been found, and a new home for the duChats in the process.

The lads were in full swing, rounds of White sambuca and something with ice in it....Shit I don't know, this while offending all in sundry, and keeping the bouncers on their toes at the same time.
Every convo would inevitably revole round Us whipping the Irish the next day, or how old we all were, which on reflection was quite evident, even with the impressive lighting. It was time to leave. You know your ready to call ita night when you ask the Cabbie to recommend another Venue, and he replies with 'Home'....Shit I hope he wasn't hitting on me!

The Exponents

Well folks,

I have decided to create a special, one off, pre-weekend posting of grand proportions. The setting for last night, was the famed Woolshed. This place is a veritable magnet for Kiwi and Aussies travelers and expats, but last night it resembled downtown Hamilton, but without the undesirable aspects of Hamilton.

It's funny that we have only been here for 1 month, and traveling for 2 all up, but seeing a poster for the Exponents was quite an exciting feeling. The old rockers from NZ, still touring the world, in Dublin. Apparently this is there last tour, but they said that 2 years ago.

We all met Jordan Luck (lead singer) outside, and after sharing our views on the world, music and politics it was a round of photos to remember the occasion. Jordan thinks Steve and myself should create our own travel show, I'm not sure if it was the heady mix of booze and cold Irish air, but he was clearly talking shit now. He failed to realise that we used all our best jokes within the 5min conversation with him...

While taking to Jordan, his wife told us that people in Dublin keep confusing him with Rod Stewart. Gutted, no one deserves that.

The Exponents were brilliant, just like all those nights listening to them a few years ago. Had mint spot to watch from, right above and behind the band. All the classics were played, which is what we all wanted. Best night yet in Dublin, not the authentic Irish experience I must admit. The bouncer next to me asked who these guys were, I said they were like U2 to Irish people, but just not famous outside of NZ.

Great night had by all. They are playing again tonight, we might take along all the lads who have come over for the testmatch. Should be a massive day tomorrow. No doubt another blog to follow.

duChats

China Post Below

Steveo has added the China post from earlier on the tour, for those who have not read.

Click here for Super Asian Adventure - China

Cone-an

Well team

After a couple of weeks on the job market the tourist have a 50% strike rate. Lisa managed to pick up a nannying job in about 2 days of looking, Dan just landed an advertising sales role in a new publication called metro whilst myself & duChats well.........we are still all dressed up with no where to go. But fear not concerned citizens these two aging wallflowers have had some very promising interviews and it would be a hugely surprising if a flood of employment offers wasn't forthcoming within the next 7 days.......we hope!!!

So what have we been doing with our time you might ask. Well, we managed to inflict NZ's one day cricket capitulation on a confused bunch of Irish punters in our local pub Traders bar. We have celebrated league and rugby success with our country men at the kiwi & Aussie bar in Dublin the Wool shed and we have also secured our first drunken trophy. A 4 foot ice cream affectionately named Cone-an. Not to mention we have started work on getting around all of Dublin's 800 odd pubs (so far we are right on track). Next week promises to be huge with the Exponents playing on Thursday night (we couldn't believe they were still touring either), as well as a bunch of lads coming over from the UK to see the AB's play the Irish on Saturday at Landsdown road. It should be good times.

Steveo