Umamiblog

1. Wellington
Wellington is just an amazing city. The city is wedged between mountains and a gorgeous harbour with little cheap land available that prevents suburban sprawl. The result is a compact city “pretending to be a village” with good public transport and a high quality of life. It is probably the most urban city in Oceania and subjectively, the easiest to live in. Come have a look for yourself.

2. Powerbook G4 + Mac OS X
Now almost 2 years old, it has been the best and most reliable computer I’ve ever owned or used. Anyone who knows me knows of my affinity with Apple computers thus it takes second place. It’s a gorgeous computer that is a pleasure to use and a delight to show off.

3. iPod
I’ve owned 2 iPods and they’ve been one of the most “ME” objects I’ve ever owned. Like with the Internet, I struggle to remember what it was like without one. My current favorite is the Shuffle – holds enough music for a long flight but is small and light enough to run with, without noticing it. Possible this should have been merged with the above point.

4. Icebreaker
If you haven’t heard of Icebreaker yet chances are you soon will. Icebreaker makes suburb clothing from NZ high-country merino and is a model NZ export business (representing Wellington!). Jeremy Moon who founded Icebreaker was also a graduate from the same university as myself. He presented to us while I was studying and it was a great opportunity to hear about the company and the progression it had made.

5. Viva Spanish
It has been a long-time goal of mine to learn another language. I decided on Spanish wanting to spend some serious time in America del Sur. I would wholeheartedly recommend Viva Spanish if you wanted to learn Spanish in Wellington. Adriana (who hails from Argentina) is a very patient and personal professora and the class sizes are small and friendly.

6. Satay Palace
Now moving in the food section (a topic very dear to me)… Satay Palace is your quintessential cosy immigrant Malaysian restaurant on Cuba St. Somehow this family can serve me dinner in a matter of minutes for $7. I love it, it is suberb. The owners have a great memory as well… Oh, its the one next to Floriditas.

7. Coffee32
Wellington is insanely good at coffee. However if you asked me a while ago where the best coffee in Wellington was I’d be surprised (just as much as you) to say The Terrace. A middle aged couple run this small but busy cafe in one of the more corporate parts of the city and yet they exude authenticity with the best coffee in town and immaculate presentation – you can tell there is love in the coffee. Another owner with an AMAZING memory. Situated at 32 The Terrace (surprising really…).