The Amazing Race

On Friday ANZ National Technology were involved in a team building event on Waiheke Island. It was the Amazing Race! There were four teams of four people each. The idea was to score as many points possible and win the race.

Prior to going to the Island our team went into The Warehouse and purchased some team hats. We picked some pirate hats. One of the other teams were quite funny in their wearing of hats with "cow girl" written on the top of them!

The following people were in my team; Anupaum, Alex, and Chris. We were briefed on the ferry on the way over, and the games began as soon as we arrived. We had various tasks to do which varied from taking photos of particular situations, to flinging eggs at a target on a sports field.

When we arrived on the ferry we were given a set of tasks, a jeep, and a digital camera to take photos. There were short time limits and we needed to meet several times at certain "pit stops" to receive our further instructions/tasks. At the pit stops we were given an option to do one of two options. Typically one was more intellectual-based while the other was a physical activity.

Failure of of activity would give rise to another activity you would need to complete instead. For example, when on the sports field we failed to hit the target with our supply of eggs and had to complete some brain-teasers. Full credit to Chris for his excellent work here.

After the event we went to a bar (The Lazy Lounge) on the island and had alcohol and nibbles. a thoroughly exciting day!


Video: Returning to the ferry after the amazing race!

Additional Information: Waiheke Island is a picturesque blend of farmland, forest, beaches, vineyards and olive groves. There is a great range of activities on Waiheke. Options include sightseeing, mountain biking, sea kayaking, a relaxed vineyard tour and much more.

Jeremy Jung

I came to work this morning at my usual early time. A contractor from Gen-i was in the building looking for a PC to use. Given the temporary status of our building there was not too many spare for this unannounced visitor.

When he motioned to to Jeremy's PC as being a potential spare I advised in casually that this was Jeremy's PC and that he must be running late this morning and to expect him in. Some hours passed and Jeremy still had not arrived at work.

My Manager Aaron Gissing is away on holiday in Fiji with one of the experienced Gen-i contractors Llyod left to hold the fort. He came around and asked everyone in client services to come to the board room. There he made the announcement that Jeremy had had a heart attack and had passed away.

Jeremy was only 24 and this had come as an awful shock. With both of us being new at the bank (at least new in Auckland for Jeremy) I had not got a chance to get to know him a great deal. Of the few lunches we had and conversations spoken, Jeremy was a lively character who was a great asset to the team. He was a bit of a joker but I loved his jokes.

Additional Information: Gen-i was formed four years ago when Telecom Advanced Solutions (TAS), Gen-i and Computerland joined forces under the Gen-i brand. Today, the company has 2,000 staff across 17 locations, revenues in excess of $1.6 billion and a client list that spans 3,300 public and private sector organisations on both sides of the Tasman. -gen-i.co.nz

A Bank Assessment

Today, I went for an interview at the ANZNational Bank. Mum had found an advertisement in the New Zealand Herald for a Lan Analyst position. She urged me to apply. I did apply, and was asked to attend an "Assessment Centre" today.

The assessment was held at 107 Carlton Gore Road, on the same road as my current job at Zeacom. I went at 1.30pm today. There was about a dozen people in total today. The Bank has been running a number of these assessments throughout the week.

Firsty, we were observed performing a group activity. This involved a simulated situation where we were trapped on an island in Tahiti. We needed to pick 15 items to take with us. Secondly, there was a small technical written test. I was intrigued that one of the questions related to PABX and VoIP technologies. I'm glad that I could answer this question, and I suspect a lot of the other people could not adequately answer it.

They asked what a PABX was, and what VoIP was. They also asked for an explanation of what a "Hunt Group" was.

I was also interviewed briefly by two people who asked me behavioural-related questions. These are always tricky, but I managed to get through in the end.

It looks like this job is going to be based on Queen Street, and there is going to be no parking provided by the bank.

I'm told that I should hear from the bank within a week.