2 years ago, I stayed here for about a month for Vodafone prepay migration. Now, I’m back here again for Telecom NZ UMTS roaming migration, this place didn’t change much, same room layout, same bed style. But I do have a better camera! It’s getting closer to Christmas, the lobby is fully decorated and everyone is in the mood!

Dance as though no one is watching 
Love as though you’ve never been hurt 
Sing as though no one can hear you 
Live as though heaven is on earth

I came across this poem while browsing facebook today, do you agree? I would like to change the last line to – “Live as though there’s no tomorrow”…

What do you think when you see these words ? No “XXX” please! You would probably hear them around the Oceania region (practically Oz and Kiwis). Yes! These are some of the common ways of making espresso drinks in this part of the world. Wikipedia tells me…

A flat white is a coffee beverage served in Australia and New Zealand, prepared with espresso and milk. The drink is generally made with an ⅓ espresso and ⅔ steamed milk. The volumised milk is prepared by folding the top layer into the lower layers.

A flat white is the same as a properly made North American Caffe Latte, but differs from a Starbucks style latte in the preparation of the milk. Australian lattes and flat whites are usually served in 215-240ml cups, making them stronger than some lattes in other countries.

A long black is a style of coffee, most commonly found in Australia and New Zealand, made by pulling a double-shot of espresso over hot water (usually the water is also heated by the espresso machine). A long black is similar to an Americano.

The order in which a long black is made (water first, espresso second) is important; reversing the steps will destroy the crema from the espresso shots.

A short black is like a long black, but it is made with only a single shot of espresso and does not contain hot water.