Review of The Hobbit

I took my son to see the movie "The Hobbit" last night.  I wasn't too impressed.

Here is the review I posted on my FB page and I am not even going to bother to reformat it for you (the imaginary reader) because I am lazy (and because you don't exist):


My review of the Hobbit: I didn't really like it.

It was far too long--each scene was drug out too long, the 48 fps thing was distracting (at best) 

and weird, there was too much camera movement that I found dizzying and distracting (was 

giving me vertigo in some places), and, the worst part was that I felt that I had already seen it 

before---not that feeling you get when you have read the book--no, that feeling that they lifted 

most of the scenes right out of LotR.

I woke up this morning even more annoyed---there wasn't even a "plot" in the true sense. The 

whole thing felt like the world's longest, slowest introduction. Or a stupidly long movie trailer for 

the next installment.

Here is the story in one sentence: 13 dwarves, 1 hobbit and a wizard set out on a trip and get into 

some fights along the way.

No climax, no denouement, no purpose, no completion. 

But 9 year old enjoyed all the fighting and says he really enjoyed the movie.





It was like the fanciest NZ tourism video ever made.

I love Tolkien but I just didn't enjoy the movie. I do think it kept  to the book but that may be the 

problem? I guess the formula for a good book isn't really the same as the formula for a good movie?


I guess I was disappointed because I found it too much like a mindless action flick. This was just one 

fighting action sequence after another--in between lovely NZ scenery shots. But the way it was 

portrayed, the story was sloooow and secondary to thefighting. Forced, it seemed (the story) or an 

afterthought. 


And yes, it was stretched too thin in many places. I have lots of anxiety so it is easy to trigger my 

emotions in those "OMG will they survive?" moments but I really just felt... nothing. I wasn't too 

invested in any of the characters tbh. 


I expected so much more. 

Kiwi Humour

Something really should be said about the irreverent humor of the Kiwis.  They are hysterically funny and often baudy. The low brow humor here is infinitely more intelligent than the low brow stupidity that often passes for humor in Texas.

Even the Prime Minister is funny.  If you read my comments about him in Politics, you are going to get the idea that I have a crush on the PM.  Maybe I do. He is no Vladimir Putin (the quintessential macho leader type) but he is funny.  And in a country like NZ, that is an important quality.

I can talk and tell you all about how hilarious the Kiwis are but why listen to me?  This isn't a 1985 letter home---this is the internet!! And I can SHOW you some funny Kiwi stuff.

This first video is made in support of the New Zealand rugby team, the All Blacks.  Before you ask, I have absolutely NO idea why they are called "All Blacks"--they aren't all black. In fact, I don't think any of them are "black" but a few are brownish.  They wear black so maybe that is it?  In the U.S., teams are usually named after a mascot of some sort.  Not here apparently. And the All Blacks mascot is a fern leaf.  Go leaves?  I can see why they decided to name themselves after the colour of their jerseys.  Which brings up an interesting point of difference, in NZ, it is customary to say "Go the All Blacks."  See that "the" in there?  Yeah, I have no idea why they use that but they all do it.  In Texas, we never say "Go the Cowboys" so it is just too awkward for me to embrace.  Which is fine really, I just stay away from sports in general and I have no problems.

Also, there is a vast amount of rivalry between New Zealand and Australia.  No, NZ and Australia are not the same country.  Australia is a big continent next door with 20 million people. NZ is kind of like Australia's Canada.  We have little man's syndrome too.

Banana Cream Pie

I am lazy. I would rather buy a lovely cream pie at a roadside pie stand than to slave away making one at home. But every time you see a Pie Shop in NZ, they are selling meat pies. Some delicious, some disgusting but none of them sweet. For whatever reason, pies--like we think of them in America--just never caught on commercially here.  If you want one, you have no choice but to bake them yourself.
Here is my version of a cream pie--the lazy way.

Nothing says "Christmas in NZ " like $55 Turkeys

This is a GREAT deal---they are normally $80

Sent from Samsung Mobile

Take the Fern!!

Rosemary Chicken and Brie Pizza

When I was traveling last year, I stopped to eat in a little bakery in Arrowtown (near Queenstown).  I had a chicken panini with cranberry sauce on it.  It was fantastic--even though I have never been a fan of cranberries before that sandwich.  I decided that I wanted a pizza like that so I made this pizza. Enjoy!

ingredients

1.  2 t yeast--1 T raw sugar--1 c warm water

2.  wait until frothy

3.  2T olive oil--1 t salt--2 1/2 c flour--rest 10 min

4.  oil pan--add pinch of rosemary and thyme

form dough in pans---rest 10 min

bake 20 min--350

cook chicken in butter with rosemary and thyme

spread cranberry sauce on baked pizza crust

caramelize onions

top with bits of chicken, brie, onions, mozzarella--bake until cheese melts

slice and eat

Driving on the wrong side

 In the US, we drove on the right side of the road. In NZ, we drive on the "other side"--you know, the wrong side.  It is one of the craziest aspects to antipodean living.

The steering wheel is on the wrong side and, even after living here for 3 years, I still try to get in on the wrong side. It's not an isolated incident either, I do it all the time. Fortunately, I am better at staying on my side of the road.

When we first arrived, I made my husband do all the driving because I was afraid of doing the stick shift thing with my left hand.  He did a great job except when turning out of a parking lot. Always a disaster with me yelling,  "Keep left!! Keep left!!"  And, sometimes, on roads without any markings or stripes, he would start to drift toward the right.  It was definitely an adventure at first.

If I turn right, oncoming cars turning left have to yield to me

Now, it seems normal to drive on the left. The only thing remarkable now is this weird turning rule. If you are turning right, across traffic, you have the right away if the car coming your way wants to turn left.  Does that make sense?  If you are driving on the left side of the road and turning left, you must yield to any driver coming from the other direction who also wants to turn the same direction. It's hard to get used to--and I still am never sure whose turn it is.  Fortunately, Kiwis ALWAYS use their turn signal.  They are very polite drivers.

Of course, since we drive on the opposite side as the US, the drive through windows are on the opposite side, too.  This was something that used to tickle me to no end. Except it did have an end because it isn't that funny anymore.  It's just normal now.

We don't really have highways here like the US. Auckland, being the largest city with 1 million in population, has some highways but we barely have 5 miles worth of "motorway" in Christchurch--and all outside of the city. In the city, we have regular streets with stop lights. Or roundabouts, which take a bit of getting used to but I love them now.  Also, there is very little traffic in NZ except for Auckland. After all the earthquakes have messed up the roads in Christchurch, we are experiencing traffic here. It has been terrible to experience since we are no longer "used" to it  but is still nothing like a city in the US.

Speed limits here are generally 60 km/hour in town, and in less populated areas, they are 80 km/hour or 100 km/hour (about 60 mph).

Micky D's drive through

Kiwi intersection 

Bad traffic 

Emigrate vs. Immigrate

Let's start with some definitions just to clarify. 

em·i·grate/ˈemiˌgrāt/

 Verb: Leave one's own country in order to settle permanently in another.

im·mi·grate/ˈimiˌgrāt/

 Verb: Come to live permanently in a foreign country.


When you leave your home country, you emigrate. When you arrive in your new country, you immigrate. 


Now, that we have that all cleared up, let's talk about HOW we immigrated to New Zealand. 


NOTE: There are currently laws in place preventing me from offering any immigration advice because I am not licensed in that area.  Please do not construe my retelling of my own personal experiences as advice. I don't give advice anyway (I generally just tell people what to do Ha!)

Argentina

We carefully researched all the countries in the world before we decided to leave the USA.  I first made a list of all the English speaking countries, researched like mad and, in every regard, New Zealand was the winner. Next, just to be thorough, I went through all the non-English speaking countries.  We considered weird places like Russia, Cuba, Venezuela.  Not that those places are weird, just that it is weird for an American to consider moving there. 


If we had decided to go with a Central or South American locale, we would have picked Argentina. But alas, it was not to be. And I am so glad that we moved to NZ, it is beautiful, friendly, wonderful.  Moving to NZ for an American, is akin to moving to a different state---though much further away.  The similarities with the US are striking and it is hard to suffer from too serious a case of culture shock when you can run down to McDonald's or Burger King or Subway and they take your order in English. 


The immigration process for us was easy. The first step is to find out if your skill is on the "list"---the list of Essential Skills in Demand, if this sounds like a bureaucratic name for the list, it is because it is!!!  We were applying under the SKilled Migratn Category
Here is a direct link to the NZ Immigration Service page about the Essential Skills. There is a Long Term Skills Shortage list, an Immediate Skills Shortage list and now, a Canterbury Skills Shortage list for rebuilding after the earthquake. These lists are reviewed and modified periodically.  We were already living here in the country on a 1 year work permit that was expiring and waiting for our Permanent Residency permit, when my husband's skill was removed from the list. It was a scary time---we could not renew our work permits.  I also know of people who have gone back to school to acquire one of the skills on the list---only to find that the list is modified before they can emigrate.  These lists change!!   (There are ways to emigrate to NZ without being on a "list" but that is not the focus of this post. )


Once we found my husband's skill on the list, we checked our total points on the Points Indicator.   You need a minimum of 100 points to be invited to apply. 140 points will ensure that you will be invited. 


OK, it seems I need to back up a bit.  When we first applied to immigrate to NZ, we filled out a form called an Expression of Interest (EOI).   The NZIS offers a guide to filling out the form and it was easy for us to do on our own without hiring any help.  We filled out the online version and submitted that--which was easy to figure out once we set up an account on the NZIS site. We saved some money doing it this way.  We paid about NZ$440 to file out EOI.  Current fees can be found here. 


Once we filed our EOI, our application went into a pool of applicants.  Since we claimed more than 140 points (see points indicator link above), our application was pulled in the first drawing.  If we had not been selected in that drawing, we would have stayed in the pool for six months. 


EOIs are selected by points:

• Total points of 140 or more are automatically selected
• Less than 140 points but include points for jobs or job offers are selected in a specific amount of numbers to meet New Zealand Residence requirements
• Additional EOI might be selected to meet New Zealand Residence Programme requirements set out by the Minister of Immigration.

Obviously, one of the easiest ways to immigrate here is to find a job first--and maybe even get them to pay all your moving expenses.  This happens but not for people in my husband's field. 

After our EOI got pulled from the pool, NZIS checked it over to make sure that we filled out the form correctly and then sent us an Invitation to Apply (ITA).  This is just a print out of your EOI and you must check it over and add supporting documentation for all the claims you made and points you claimed.  For example, I claimed points for an university degree so I had to provide official transcripts for that degree.  Birth certificates, marriage licenses, etc. ---all official copies, of course.  It is a really good idea to begin gathering paperwork as soon as you are thinking of moving because it was a laborious task. 

Also, we had to provide an FBI criminal history check which was easy to get--just send a form, fingerprints and $22 to the FBI and wait a few weeks.  NZ won't let criminals immigrate which means I had some serious explaining to do over some youthful indiscretions.  A long letter of culpability got me into the country in the end because I only had some minor conflagrations on my record. Serious offenses (felonies or jail time) will likely result in a "No, Thank You!" from NZIS. 

Additionally, we had to submit a full medical workup, including blood work and a chest x-ray (looking for TB scars).  Medical issues are very important to NZ because we have a socialized medicine system and we don't want to bring in unhealthy people who will drain the system.  Our height/weight had to be within a healthy range as well as blood testing. 

Once all of this paperwork was gathered together, it was all submitted to NZIS along with another NZ$ 1500 (for a family of 4).  After a few months of white knuckled anticipation, we were approved.  Next, we paid ANOTHER fee, a Migrant Levy of around NZ$ 1500.  Then they put blue stickers in our passport, which is the NZ version of "green cards."   The entire process took about 8 months for us though I know people who did it faster and some who have taken much longer. Current fees for the process are found here. 

All in all, it was very inexpensive, straight forward and easy to do. The waiting is the hardest part. Oh, and gathering up all the paperwork wasn't too fun either. 

available after 5 years

As Permanent Residents, we have all the rights and responsibilities of NZ citizens--except we can't move to Australia (without applying for permits).  Once we become NZ citizens after 5 years, we CAN move to Australia. Too many people were using NZ as a backdoor to Australia since NZ has a more lenient immigration policy so citizenship was moved from 3 years to 5 years. 

Once we had our Permanent Residency(PR), we could have taken up to 2 years to move here. Of course, we were already living here on a 1 year work permit when ours was approved. 

After living here with PR for 2 years, NZ issued us an indefinite visa--meaning we are entitled to live here unconditionally. We can move away for a while and still return. 

And after 5 years, we are entitled to NZ citizenship and a new passport, which we can use to enter any country in the world, except the US which would still expect us to maintain a US passport to enter. 

The immigration process here is EASY and CHEAP!!! Especially compared to just about every other country!!! 

Fuel Prices

Fuel in NZ is very expensive. It is currently $2.09 per litre for the cheap stuff (91 octane).  There are 3.75 litres to the US gallon. That means it costs $7.84 per gallon for fuel here. Now you understand why everyone here drives tiny little cars. 

Price of fuel in NZ 14/9/2011

If you will notice, diesel is considerably less expensive. But there are "Road User Charges" associated with diesel vehicles.  You must buy coupons for kilometers driven and these coupons must be displayed on your dashboard.  I think it is about 3 cents per kilometer. (you still need to learn the metric system!!)  1 mile = 1.609 kilometers


There are ways to save a few cents per litre by getting grocery store docket coupons. By spending $40 at a local grocery store, you will save 4 cents per litre. On occasion, the grocery stores will give you 10 cents off per litre when you spend $80. And every month or so, the grocery stores will lose their mind with generosity and give you 20 cents off per litre when you spend $200. 


It is sooo totally worth doing. I save about $10 when filling up my tiny car using a 20 cent coupon. 

NZ Grocery Stores

The major chain grocery stores in New Zealand:

Countdown
Woolworths 

New World
Pak n Save

I have them grouped as I do because they are all owned by 2 companies. Countdown and Woolworth's are owned by Progressive and Pak n Save and New World is owned by Foodstuffs. A duopoly.  You can read some about the grocery wars in this article. 

Food prices in NZ are outrageous. Part of the reason is that a Goods and Service Tax (GST) of 15% is added to everything---yes, even fresh produce. But a lack of competition is also a contributing factor.

In my own personal opinion, Pak n Save is the cheapest grocery store. It is set up like a warehouse and you bag your own groceries (they charge for bags as well so use your eco-bags).  They also have "Mad Days" which is basically a big sale.  I love Mad Days! But they give you very little warning, just a few ads the night before and radio spots the day of the sale.  I hit them by luck mostly.  Pak n Save also has the best bakery of the grocery stores.

New World, on the other hand, is the most expensive supermarket in NZ. I can't comment too much as I choose not to shop here as the prices are noticeably more.  I guess you shop here if you are a snob and want your grocery bags to say "New World"???  I have no idea.


Countdown and Woolworth's are so similar that I, frankly, can't tell them apart. I think they are rebranding so they will all be the same name eventually.  This is the middle of the road grocery. I shop here and watch their sales and it is reasonable.  I shop at the one closest to my house but mainly because it is NOT in an indoor shopping mall like the Pak n Save.  Finding a front parking spot so I can just run in is worth a bit more sometimes.

One of the incentives for shopping at the grocery store chains are gas coupons.  Spend $40 in one go and you will always get a 4 cent off per litre of fuel coupon.  Sometimes, it is spend $80 and get 10 cents off per litre. And about once a month, spend $200 and get 20 cents off a litre.  I ALWAYS take advantage of these promotions!!!  With 20 cents off per litre, I save about $10 off of a fill up with fuel. Woo!


But unlike Americans, Kiwis generally do their shopping at the butcher, the baker and the candle stick maker.  Grocery stores are for convenience. And you pay for convenience.

I find the most economical way to shop in NZ is to find the local veggie stand or farmer's market. They are set up all over town and are better priced than the chain grocery stores. Of course, you can 't be lazy--you have to stop at multiple places to get the best deals. Broccoli for $1 at one place and spinach at another. They keep big signs out front telling you their specials so I just pop in when I see a good price.  I don't spend one day shopping for food but am always on the lookout for a deal as I drive around on any given day.

There are also butchers in every area and their meat is usually better and more attractively priced. There is even a discount butchery chain called Mad Butcher.  The one near my house has added a vegetable area called Harvest Market. Quite convenient.

Also, the best place to buy milk is a Dairy, which is a small convenience store, like a gas station without gas.  This one had me baffled because in the US, you pay a much higher price for convenience store shopping. But here, you should buy your milk from a dairy.  And you can get candy, sodas, ice cream, cigarettes etc. from the dairy as well.

We also have a variety of bakers. Some are exquisite, some are factory food.