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Earlier this month I was in Japan and Korea. One of the most dangerous places I went was Fuji-Q Highland. I hate roller coasters and having fun so this was very intense. The easy-to-moderate ones such as 'Getting Wet an Wild' (1st picture) and 'Ball Buster' (2nd picture) proved to be no problem, but after going on Fujiyama (3rd picture) I was so traumatized that I could not go on Eejanaika (4th picture). I bought one of those closeup pictures of me on Fujiyama, but I won't show it as my face looks like it is going to implode.

The Xbox 360 arcade has just been released for $279 USD (~$417 NZD inc GST). The arcade version doesn't have a hard drive, instead it has a 256MB memory card and comes with a few Xbox Live Arcade games. This seems like an OK deal, but if you shop around like I did you can get a much, much better deal.

Here is the deal I managed to get, all parts were bought brand new and are official Microsoft products. Prices which are shown first in New Zealand dollars (NZD) include GST of 12.5%, so the converted price may actually be a bit higher than the actual USD equivalent.

• Xbox 360 Core $349 NZD (~$262 USD) - Dick Smith Electronics.
• Massive Entertainment Pack (1x wireless controller, 2 Xbox 360 games(PGR3 and DOA4)) + bonus wireless controller $90 NZD (~$67 USD) First in.
• 120GB Hard Drive $102 USD (~$135 NZD) - eBay.
• Shipping $40 NZD (~$30 USD)

From the above I ended up with 3 controllers (1x wired, 2x wireless) and I only needed 1x wired and 1x wireless, so I was then able to sell the massive entertainment pack unopened for $90 NZD (~$67 USD) - yes this means I got a wireless controller for free :).

So all up (including shipping) it cost me $524 NZD (~$393 USD), which is cheaper than a Pro console and I get a bigger hard drive and an extra controller. In New Zealand a Pro console costs $649.95 NZD (~$487 USD), wired controller $69.95 NZD (~$52 USD) and a 120 GB hard drive $220 NZD (~$165 USD). A core console when not on sale retails for $449.95 NZD (~$337 USD).

So like most things, if you can be bothered wheeling and dealing you can get a really good deal.

• Sex Style - The Un-released Archives - due for release 6th November '07. See here for album art and the track listing.
• The track 'Real Talk Face to Face', possibly from the new Solo Album King Service. Listen to it on his myspace.
• Possibly the Conference Room album.
• On the track 'The Energy' on Admiral Crumple's new album.
• On a track with THORN1.
• Tashan Dorrsett may get released soon...

Who will I interview next???? Ricky Gervais I guess.

I just got back from my honeymoon to New Caledonia.
New Caledonia is a non-self-governing territory ruled with an iron fist by the King of France, possibly having something to do with the man in the iron mask? Luckily in the capital city Noumea most people speak an English of sorts, so speaking French is optional.
There is a lot to like about New Caledonia; it has great beaches, food, a torrent of topless women, deadly wildlife and warm weather. Having gone there in July it is the middle of winter, just like from where I departed (Christchurch), the difference being about 20 degrees Celsius; the temperature there ranging from 20-25 ?C where as I left temperatures of < 10 ?C. Of course the locals were still complaining that it was far too cold and that their dog's had caught colds and had to go to the vet... The other benefit of going in July is that it is quiet and the beaches are almost empty.

Most of my time there was spent beaching, snorkeling, drinking, slothing, eating, caf? latte-ing, gambling and a few other deadly sins.
One of the more memorable sins would be going to the casino. The casino there is quite tacky and the hotel we were staying at gives you $5 worth of free chips to play your life with. Luckily I had auditioned for the hit tv show Numb3rs and was a pro at roulette. By only betting the free chips and taking my winnings every time I managed to win 100$, my streak came to an end when the dreaded 00 came up, so I walked away sticking it to the casino and the man.
As for gluttony, the food, beer and coffee there is great. Dinning out everyday can be a bit expensive, so it pays to go down to the supermarket and get some supplies, plus they have a huge range of stuffz.
The beaches there are great; they are quite warm, uncrowded and lots of fish for snorkeling. The only problem for swimming is the coral and the deadly Tricot Raye sea snake, on one beach there was a snake every 10 meters, luckily they are quite timid and have rear fangs which apparently makes it hard for them to bite humans.
Over there they drive on the right hand side of the road which I found to be a bit disorientating while crossing the road, so probably a good thing that I didn't hire a car. Most of the time we got around by walking, busing or catching a taxi - these methods all seemed to suffice for getting around Noumea.

The infamous Ghost Beach

Deadly and Ugly