Sunday, 14 June 2026

Be With You: My 44th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first in gaming such as me playing Cricket 26 on the PS5 for the first time in a few months as of March 26th where the update had introduced shot force as well as shot force for types of strokes where I was overly impressed about it when I discovered that I set it to 100 so I had opportunities to hit sixes out of the park since the update came along, & I was once comparing gameplay to that Cricket 26 game to that Cricket 07 game that I own at the moment on PlayStation 2, & the Cricket 07 one was better than Cricket 26 (Where it had the best graphics than any other cricket sims all along) in terms of gameplay (But I have not played the Rugby League 26 game since because I have been enjoying that Rugby League 2 game on the PS2 that I always play, & I think I'm a gaming historian throughout), but there were players from the Ashes participating countries of both Australia & England in that era in Cricket 07 such as the late Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, Ricky Ponting, Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook & Andrew Flintoff, compared to Cricket 26 where they had Mitchell Starc, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer & Jacob Bethell.

And secondly in the music that one of the old time bands of the Foo Fighters (Well, they're American because they were originally from Seattle in the state of Washington, but they're most experienced rockers of them all) have released new songs such as 'Caught in the Echo' that I heard on YouTube once along with another one of the old timers like the UK's rockers of Muse with their new hit, 'Be With You' from the upcoming album due for release in June this year called The Wow! Signal that is influenced on the space radio signal which circulated in 1977 as I heard on the radio station of Brian FM (My fave since I first heard it in 2015, but I started to listen it since because of the Rock FM always play ads on the radio compared to Brian which is commercial free) for which had a mixed reaction, saying that the sound of their new music is awesome while others think that it's just plain rubbish at the moment, along with the new rock acts (Well, they have been around since they released their major label debut studio album back in 2012 of Vessel) of America's Twenty One Pilots, also with their new song, 'Drag Path'.

And thirdly that why I always like ice hockey, because of me influencing Rejean (Well, I have not seen him along with Aunty Tan for like 84 days as of March 27th, but his 64th birthday is due on the last day of March on the 31st) who is also always an ice hockey watcher, but I mainly watch the rugby just like Pops (And we support the Hurricanes in Super Rugby Pacific, compared to Rejean who has been a Montreal Canadiens (Which is a team that currently competes in the NHL) fan throughout).

And lastly that the dramedy of the Fighting with my Family movie that came out back in 2019 (For which was a success in terms of rave reviews), was about a female wrestler named Paige (Who used to compete under her real name Saraya or Saraya Knight who was with AEW (Until she returned to the WWE recently, after 4 years away when she left in 2022 (8 years following her debut also back in 2014 where she took AJ Lee (Who also made a comeback to the WWE) a pounding to capture an unlikely win to claim the WWE Divas Championship title on Raw the night following WrestleMania XXX) at WrestleMania XLII where she teamed up with Brie Bella to replace the injured Nikki (Who is Brie's twin sister) to claim the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship altogether), just like the Canadian wrestler from AEW named Adam Copeland who once competed as Edge during his time in the WWE, but he's allowed to keep his nickname of 'The Rated R Superstar') being born from a tight knit wrestling family from Norwich in the UK about to break through the ranks (And her bro Zak should've joined because he did not make it) in the world of pro wrestling who was introduced by her mentor of the Rock (Dwayne Johnson), but they should have made a sequel after the newfound success of the movie about the life of Rhea Ripley who was also born from a family of wrestlers in Adelaide, Australia, to become one of the country's most successful professional wrestlers (Just like that they closely working on making a sequel to the highly successful F1: the Movie from last year starring Brad Pitt (The American Hollywood film star & A-lister) that was far better than the Sly Stallone CART Champ Car movie, Driven taken from back in 2001), but next year's WWE 2K game should focus on the career of the lady known as 'Mami' & 'The Eradicator' who is the modern day version of the late Chyna in terms of the comparison between the 2 female wrestling superstars, just like CM Punk did when they released the WWE 2K26 game that focuses the career of the man known as 'The Straight Edge Superstar', 'The Second City Saint', & 'The Best in the World'.

So that is my 692nd blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 44th of this year, viva Ukraine.

P.S. And the rock music industry was in mourning in February this year as the lead singer of the American rockers 3 Doors Down (Known for their hits such as 2000's breakthrough hit, 'Kryptonite', as well as 2002's 'When I'm Gone', & the most infamous one from back in 2003, 'Here Without You'), of Brad Arnold who he is gone because of him who sadly passed away after his lengthy but prolonged battle with cancer at the age of 47, so they've already sent their thoughts, prayers, & heartfelt condolences to the family of Arnold, & his loved ones, rest in paradise (RIP)/rest easy.

Brad Arnold
1978 - 2026

Friday, 12 June 2026

2 Minutes to Midnight: My 43rd Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first in gaming that the other copy of the Star Wars Battlefront II PlayStation 2 game (Which seemed to be my fave PlayStation 2 game that I haven't played for 16 years since back in 2010 along with V8 Supercars 3 (It used to be my favourite racing game on the PS2 that I first played in 2007, until I stopped playing it in either also back in 2009/10) & Rugby 08 (It was last year that I first played it in back in 2007, & last played it in either back in 2008, '09 or '10), compared to GTA IV on the Xbox 360 that I play on the Xbox Series X console (I first played that game on the PS3 also back in 2012, until I stopped playing it until back in 2015/16), & Gran Turismo 7 on the PS5 (I first played it on the PS4 in March or April 2022, but I first played the PS5 version of it in September or October in the same year) that Aunty Tan (Who I have not seen her along with Rejean for 50 days as of the 21st of February this year) gave it to me seems to be working well, especially the disc since the original copy that I sold for 10 bucks at Cash Converters had not worked because I already own one (And I've got the PlayStation 2 version of it along with the first Battlefront game from 2004 that Aunty Tan also sent it to me, so too is the original Xbox version along with the aforementioned Battlefront '04 game that I both played on my Xbox Series X console that I've got along with the PlayStation 2 & the PS5 consoles, & the Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection on both PS4 & PS5 version that was released the year before, but it got panned according to most reviews about the multiplayer mode that was lacking due to its bugs & glitches being found, & I have not played it since (Well, I have played it as part of my comparisons to other versions of the ports), so I'm enjoying it right here (And I played my 2 favourite Jedi heroes of both Luke Skywalker & Obi-Wan Kenobi on instant action game mode (Compared to a pair of my fave villains of the Sith side, such as also both Darth Vader & Darth Maul), but I think I might've clocked Rise of the Empire single player campaign mode which is about the 501st legion during the height of the Clone Wars that took place as the Galactic Republic who would eventually become the Galactic Empire (Which is inspired by nationalist Germany during the late German leader & their regime in both the 1930s as well as 40s, intentionally designed by George Lucas to evoke the aesthetics, structure, and totalitarian nature of nationalist Germany, serving as a narrative archetype for fascism and authoritarian control. It features stormtroopers, SK-like uniforms, and a "Final Protocol" reminiscent of nationalist extermination, & to the extent of the Roman Empire, the late Napoleon Bonaparte, & American imperialism in Vietnam), until the events of the Battle of Hoth during the times of the Galactic Civil War).

And secondly in food related news such as me going to Burger King with Pops where I had the single whopper with cheese on the 19th of March, a day before we had Subway where I had the meatball sub on March 20th, then a day later when we went to the Cobb on the 21st of March where we had a butter chicken for dinner, then we had dessert such as the triple chocolate brownie, & finally on March 22nd that we went to Caroline's that I had a medium rare steak with mushroom sauce, chips & salad (But I always take food photos on my phone so I can post everything a winner, especially like a pro & boss as well).

And thirdly that I started to become a political insider, as well as observer & influencer all along since the situation has happened in Iran, especially the leadership of that dreadful American leader who started that war is a disgrace (And the Americans, they made them so damn evil (Especially the pro-far right wing conservative people), & of course, they share a border, with Canadians...And Mexicans), & the fuel prices have already changed according to the high inflation rate that had been spiked & skyrocketed (And it looks like both Dad & Pops would have to get EVs (Electric vehicles) within the next 6 months, but Pops had been thinking about it, & he will make a decision regarding of getting one, but he prefers to keep both cars because of him having a sufficient amount of money to pay for gas, so he earns $100k towards superannuation) so the Americans & the Iranians (Who could be winning the invasion in terms of taking the advantage of using their manpower) are battling to claim ownership of the island which is near the strait of Hormuz.

And finally that I was watching an old Super Rugby game from the archives which was way back in 2003 where the Hurricanes led by recently appointed All Blacks assistant coach Tana Umaga (Who is the newly named defensive coordinator, & is one of 5 assistants working under Dave Rennie that'll take us through to the next men's Rugby World Cup next year along with Neil Barnes (Who takes charge of senior leadership role, & is a lineout expert), Jason Ryan (A forwards coach who was the sole survivor under the departed Scott Robertson) & Scotsman Mike Blair (The most capped Scottish halfback who was the first foreign AB's assistant coach since Aussie Mick Byrne when he was once the kicking coach, & is set to be the offensive coordinator) as well as Phil Healey who takes over from Nic Gill who is heading to the Baltimore Ravens NFL franchise, as head of performance) had a close shave against the Queensland Reds at the old Ballymore ground in Brisbane where our franchise won by 3 points, not only because they are showing that match on Sky Sport NZ in anticipation to that match due to be held on the 28th of March (A day after Moana Pasifika play the Highlanders first at North Harbour Stadium in Albany (The one that the late Carole once lived near the venue before moving to Whanganui (Well I first met her in 2017 when she first visited that city) here where she once lived the Tikitere house (That is up for sale recently) for 7 years & 4 months, then she passed away in November last year), then an all important Aussie clash between the ACT Brumbies & the New South Wales Waratahs) between the 2 sides at the newly named Hnry Stadium in Wellington, just before the Blues take to the field at Eden Park against the Fijian Drua as part of the triple header along with the Western Force playing the Chiefs at HBF Park in Perth.

So that is my 691st blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 43rd of this year, viva Ukraine.

P.S. And the racing world was in mourning in May this year (Remember, they already lost NASCAR icon of American Kyle 'Rowdy' Busch due to brief sickness) as former Formula One driver as well as twice CART Champ Car world champion from both 1997 (That was the year after he won rookie of the year honours in IndyCar during the CART era way back in 1996, but he had a rivalry with Colton's dad Bryan Herta (Whose son is a bit of a lookalike of the now late Alex (The man who is effectually known as 'The Pineapple' throughout), according to one of the YouTube comments that I saw) from 1996 where he overtook him during the final lap of the race at the season ending event at Laguna Seca, then copped a bit of beef a year later until the rivalry ended when he returned to Formula One for the 1999 season after securing back to back titles with Chip Ganassi Racing in an unsuccessful tenure with Williams), & 1998 who lost both legs in a near fatal accident during an American open wheel race at the Lausitzring Speedway in Germany back in 2001 that ended his racing career according to the previous stories that I did on my blogs, & double Paralympic hand cycling gold medalist Alex Zanardi has passed away aged 59 back home in Padua, Italy, so all thoughts, prayers, & heartfelt condolences go to the family of Alessandro, & his loved ones (Although he is survived by his wife Daniela, & his son Niccolò altogether), requiescat en pace (RIP).

Alessandro 'Alex' Zanardi
1966 - 2026

Saturday, 6 June 2026

Caught in the Echo: My 42nd Blog of the year 2026

Well, hey again, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger (And this is part 2 of my 35th birthday blog coming right at you guys because this is a double post, remember ladies & gents), but first that here are the results coming in about the latest round of Super Rugby Pacific which is round 6:

Highlanders 7 - 50 Hurricanes
ACT Brumbies 33 - 24 Chiefs
Fijian Drua 6 - 21 Queensland Reds
Moana Pasifika 21 - 50 Crusaders
& New South Wales Waratahs 20 - 35 Blues

Bye: Western Force

And secondly that in 2022 that the world was stunned just like 9/11 back in 2001 when the country who started that dreadful invasion on Ukraine (A year before the Gaza conflict began in 2023, & it lasted for 2 years until a ceasefire deal had been set up by the United States last year which was the year that America had implemented a certain tariff policy on imports coming into the country under that dreadful American leader) during the heights of the COVID pandemic (Which lasted for about 3 years from 2020 until also in 2023), but recently this year that the US made its decision to start a war on Iran, the world was stunned again, but both of these invasions could last forever because it may take a long time to end such wars like that.

And thirdly in gaming that I literally enjoyed playing the Rugby League 2 PlayStation 2 game that I bought from Dad on Trade Me, thinking that it's much better than Rugby League 26 (While that game, it is so much difficult to play, compared to Rugby League 2 for which is way easier (And modern day gaming stuff is just terrible at the moment, compared to old-school retro throwback kind of video game stuff, which is absolutely sick (That means it's good in the language of the younger generation of people) for which is a clanger, compared to Gran Turismo 7 that is a banger, & the Grand Theft Auto IV game being such a absolute banger, & a masterpiece according to the previous stories that I did on my blogs (And I have not mentioned the Star Wars Battlefront II 2005 game (Not the 2017 one) being another one of these bangers, so too is Rugby 08 as well as Cricket 07).

And lastly that both Aussie NRL league players are making the switch to rugby such as former Paramatta Eels player Zac Lomax who has signed a 2 year deal with the Western Force right through until next year, & Angus Crichton (Who is a Sydney Rooster this season) who'll head to the New South Wales Waratahs on a lucrative 2 year contract until the year after (And also Mark Nawaqanitawase who'll be heading back to rugby playing for a club competing in the Japanese competition also next year), so that both of these players can be selected for the Wallabies in their ambitions of ending a 28 year drought of becoming champions of the world in rugby (Well, they have not done that since 1999 (Held in Wales with matches being played in England, France, Ireland, & Scotland) where Australia (Who had given away just the one try during the entire tournament in that year which was against the United States during a pool match that was scored by Juan Grobler for the Americans) featuring the likes of John Eales, Phil Kearns, Tim Horan, Jason Little, George Gregan, Stephen Larkham, Toutai Kefu (Who had an enforcer role the last time the Aussies dominated the World Cup), Ben Tune, Joe Roff, Rod Kafer, & Matt Burke last triumphed at rugby's global showpiece event) when the men's Rugby World Cup takes place next year which gets underway with the opening match of the tournament between the host nation, & the tournament debutants Hong Kong China in Perth (And this is just like in 2007 that both Ryan Cross, & Clinton Schifcofske who crossed over to rugby from league when both of them played for the Western Force, & the Queensland Reds respectively, but this is similar to the trio of Mat Rogers, Wendell 'The Big Dell' Sailor, & Lote Tuqiri who were key cogs when Australia reached the final when they last hosted the tournament back in 2003, but fell short in the end against England (Who had former league player Jason Robinson playing for them, & had scored the try during the final) thanks to that match winning field goal at extra time by Jonny Wilkinson (Which was shades of Stransky in 1995 that he ended the All Blacks chances of regaining the title, & Wilkinson was the one who became the best first five in the world, until our own All Black Dan Carter took over from him therefore becoming the best in that position, up until his last game of international rugby to date for which was the final also back in 2015 against the Wallabies who last appeared in the final in which DC performed well as he racked up 19 points in that Carter had been awarded player of the game honours, his best match of Dan's international rugby career since the 38 points that he racked up in one of his all-time performances if not one of the best in the black jersey against the British & Irish Lions in Wellington back in 2005 during the 2nd test of the AB's-Lions series according to the previous stories on my blogs that I did), & then we had both Brad Thorn & Sonny Bill Williams who were league converts that were part of the winning squad also back in 2011 during our home men's Rugby World Cup (And SBW was involved in the winning side back in 2015 who were world champions again in that the last time that we were world beaters on that occasion for our country of New Zealand at that point).

So that is my 690th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 42nd of this year, viva Ukraine.

We Didn't Start the Fire: My 41st Blog of the year 2026 (AKA my 35th birthday blog special)

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but welcome to my 35th birthday blog special where I'll be referencing the 36 most important events happened throughout the last 35 years starting from my birth year from 1991, all the way until now this year during the present day (Just like that famous song from Billy Joel of 'We Didn't Start the Fire' came out in 1989, referencing from his birth year in 1949, until the year of that infamous smash hit had been released in that year for which has become one of my fave songs from Joel) which is 35 years, 36 references.

1991: The collapse of the Soviet Union
1992: The official end of the Cold War
1993: The inauguration of US President Bill Clinton
1994: The late Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa (The first African to do so, therefore marking the end of apartheid)
1995: The launch of Windows 95 by Microsoft
1996: Atlanta, Georgia, USA, hosts the Olympic Summer Games
1997: The tragic passing of Her late Royal Highness, the Princess of Wales in Paris, France
1998: The foundation of search engine Google
1999: The tragic Columbine High School shootings in Columbine, Colorado, USA
2000: Sydney, Australia hosts the Olympic Summer Games
2001: The tragic 9/11 terror attacks in the United States (One in New York, & others in both the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, & a wooden area in Shanksville, Pennsylvania) which marked the beginning of the war on terror (And it was reminiscent to the Pearl Harbor invasion in 1941 during World War II)
2002: The tragic terror bombings in Bali, Indonesia
2003: The U.S.-led war on Iraq, takes place as part of the war on terror
2004: A devastating earthquake & tsunami rips through the Indian Ocean on Boxing Day
2005: The Hurricane Katrina disaster in Louisiana, United States
2006: Italy winning their 4th Football/Soccer men's World Cup in Germany
2007: The tragic Virginia Tech shootings in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
2008: The global financial economic recession (It was the worst financial crisis disaster since the Great Depression in 1929)
2009: The inauguration of the first African American president of the United States, Barack Obama (The best president that the US has ever had)
2010: Spain winning their 1st Football/Soccer men's World Cup in South Africa
2011: The tragic earthquake & tsunami in the Tohoku region of Japan that lead to the nuclear disaster in Fukushima
2012: London, UK hosts the Olympic Summer Games
2013: The tragic bombings during the marathon in Boston, Massachusetts, USA
2014: Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Beijing, China, mysteriously disappears (Never I have ever mentioned it on my blogs before)
2015: A pair of major tragic terror attacks in Paris, France, in January & November
2016: The UK's decision to vote of departing the European Union dubbed as 'Brexit'
2017: The inauguration of that American real estate tycoon who would first gone on to become president of the United States
2018: France winning their 2nd Football/Soccer men's World Cup in Russia
2019: The Notre-Dame Cathedral fire breaks out in Paris, France
2020: The start of the global COVID pandemic
2021: The global rapid COVID vaccine rollout begins
2022: Argentina winning their 3rd Football/Soccer men's World Cup in Qatar
2023: The end (Formally) of the global COVID pandemic
2024: Paris, France, hosts the Olympic Summer Games
2025: The return of that dreadful American leader who started his 2nd term in office as he regained his presidency
& 2026: The U.S.-led war in Iran, also takes place.

And secondly that why the hell would the United States led by that dreadful American leader (Who is by far, a complete, utter scumbag in terms of his leadership for that is a disgrace for America in terms of the propaganda, especially critics who are pro far-right conservative kind of people, & their stuff that I still can't stand meaning that the country is due to celebrate their double half century of becoming independent from the British in 1876 on the 4th of July when the late George Washington who became the first president of the United States is indeed, a white supremacist nation for there will be serious ramifications, obviously there'll be a couple of far-left wing liberal people who are getting pretty filthy are already starting to lose it) start a war in Iran (And possibly Mexico when these bozos who are lunatics when they pelted projectiles towards the Border & Customs Immigration officers who take aim with their guns, & shoot them in order to scare them off (But there has still been a war since 2023 between Sudan & South Sudan due to tensions that the situation over there had already been arisen, & also between Cambodia & Thailand who thought that the war is over last year, but it's been restarted since) when both the Bahrain & Saudi Arabian Grand Prix events have been called off along with the Gran Turismo World Series event in Abu Dhabi in the UAE? Because it's just like when that country had to cancel a Formula One event in 2022 (A year before the last Grand Prix race had been called off up until that point this year in Italy at the Imola circuit due to host the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix that was blighted by the intense flooding in the country in 2023) due to that country who started that dreadful invasion that began which had continued since (And New Zealand racing legend of Greg Murphy said on the Late Braking show on Sky Sport that both Grand Prix events in Bahrain & Saudi Arabia had been cancelled (So that all 11 constructors can focus of developing their cars so that they can get it right that time as part of a 35 day break coming that has being imposed between the Japanese & the Miami Grands Prix respectively, even teams like Aston Martin & the reigning constructors champions McLaren (Who have a world champion driver who won the title last year of former Toyota Racing Series champion from 2016 of Lando Norris) are still struggling along with Red Bull powered by Ford who turned out to be a disaster during qualifying to adapt to the new regs (And it's often compared to both Ferrari & Mercedes-AMG are dominating the front of the pack that has drawn parallels to 2017-18 levels where Lewis Hamilton took on Sebastian Vettel in terms of the title fight) but avoided mentioning of saying the word of war (For which is another word that I can't stand & trust with, along with both autocracy & propaganda, even though that I'm an anti-war activist type of person just like the late Carole who always does where she was the same as me when Carole was alive) which could be bad for most people (And if we were involved in that invasion that we would be targeted (But it is lucky that we're not due to our country being far away from the main epicentres of these conflicts in Iran (Well, that could be a blow for the US in a bid to end the current Iranian regime, compared to back in 2003 where the late Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein got captured by those American special forces after months in hiding during the war in Iraq bringing a halt to the regime of Saddam who was sentenced to death for his war crimes), & in Ukraine), such as enemy forces unleashing an air strike that'll murder them for that) thinking that it is a political statement, oh my word (And the global crisis is incoming due to the disruption of the war in Iran meaning that there will be increases to the price of food & fuel is impacting our country of New Zealand which is bigger than COVID that we once had when the global pandemic was around between 2020 to 2023, meanwhile in China that a critical fertiliser shortage has threatened global food security in the middle of the Iran invasion meaning that the inflation rate is doubling the amount as we could be heading into a recession just like in 2008-09 where they once had the global financial economic crisis, or even worse, the great Depression from 1929-39 that lasted about a decade prior to the advent of World War II from 1939-45 (And it's been 81 years since the world hasn't had a global war since), especially that we're currently experiencing us New Zealanders during in a time that we're still in a cost of living crisis).

And thirdly that I just bought Tekken: Dark Resurrection game (For that is the standalone update for the Tekken 5 game that features new characters such as the socialite from Monaco named Lili who is willing to put an end to her dad's financial issues, the Russian Spetsnaz soldier named Sergei Dragunov who is dispatched to bring the bearer of the Devil Gene of Jin Kazama (The protagonist of the Tekken series & future Mishima Zaibatsu leader (As seen in the ending in the leadup to the events of Tekken 6 where they started a war against the rest of the world) to justice, & the brother of the original Armor King who got killed by Craig Marduk of the 2nd Armor King + the returning 32 playable characters from the original Tekken 5 release, including Mishima Polytech schoolgirl Ling Xiaoyu, JACK-5, Lili's would-be bitter rival of Asuka Kazama, Yoshimitsu, Feng Wei, Hong Kong police detective Lei Wulong, as well as Jin, & Jin Kazama's abusive grandad who was once the head of the Mishima Zaibatsu of Heihachi Mishima) that was originally released on PlayStation Portable which was arguably by far, the best fighting game on the planet on that portable console on both the PS4 (The version that I mainly play with) & PS5 versions on PlayStation Network, & it is a good game (And I had their characters such as Jin, Xiaoyu & Asuka, restore back to their original colours from Tekken 5 (Then I did Marshall Law (One of my Malaysian besties fave Tekken characters because I thought it was Ling Xiaoyu) on the 21st of March, but I will be doing Paul Phoenix a day later on March 22nd for which I literally did), but it is way better than Tekken 6 PSP version that I have got (And I've got 6 Tekken games overall such as Tekken 2 that I never played on both the PS4 & PS5 versions, as well as Tekken 3 that I've got, & the last 4 Tekken games that I have at the moment such as the aforementioned Tekken: DR, then the also aforementioned Tekken 6, then 7 & 8).

And finally that I was rewatching a old Super 14 game on Sky Sport from 2010 between the Highlanders & the Hurricanes at the iconic 'House of Pain' Carisbrook ground (A year before 'The Glasshouse' of Forsyth Barr Stadium (One of both covered stadiums here in our country along with the soon to be opened Te Kaha Stadium in Christchurch due in April this year, all in the South Island according to the previous stories on my blogs before) opens its doors in time for the 2011 men's Rugby World Cup tournament) in anticipation of the clash between the 2 sides on the 20th of March during round 6 where the Canes won by 2 points against them in a high scoring affair as 64 points were scored overall between the 2 teams, meanwhile that the Rugby 08 game had players in that era such as Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Schalk Burger, Yannick Nyanga, Jonny Wilkinson, Brian O'Driscoll, Shane Williams, George Gregan, Percy Montgomery, Agustin Pichot, Stephen Larkham, Lawrence Dallaglio, & Bryan Habana, compared to today that there is modern day players such as Ardie Savea, Wallace Sititi, Antoine Dupont, Eben Etzebeth, Marcus Smith, Len Ikitau, Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i, Tom Wright, Tadhg Beirne, Tadhg Furlong, Marcos Kremer, Julian Montoya, Dewi Lake, Jac Morgan, Finn Russell, Ange Capuozzo, Michele Lamaro & Tommaso Menoncello.

Enjoy

So that is my 689th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 41st of this year, viva Ukraine.

P.S. And the motor racing world is in mourning, stunned & in shock as Kyle Busch, the twice NASCAR Cup Series champion in both back in 2015 & 2019, has passed away recently as a result of severe pneumonia, aged 41 in Charlotte, North Carolina in the United States (And remember, they already lost Greg Biffle due to a fatal plane crash that occurred in December last year in Statesville, North Carolina in America, but Busch becomes the first active full-time NASCAR driver to pass away during the season since Dale Earnhardt Sr 25 years ago, also back in 2001 where Dale Sr was involved in a fatal accident during the great American race of the Daytona 500) where he was passed out in a Chevrolet simulator just before his passing as he was found not responsive in fact as he coughed out blood after being in GM's "Driver-in-the-Loop" sims are said to be "As close as drivers can get to racing without actually strapping in" as simulator sessions have become a major part of modern race preparation, especially for teams dialing in setups and helping drivers who train, or practice in situations like in a real-life race as he collapsed, then transported to a hospital where the illness had been severe, but all thoughts, prayers, & heartfelt condolences go to the family & his loved ones back home in the US, rest in pieces (RIP).

Kyle Busch
1985 - 2026

Saturday, 23 May 2026

Move Along: My 40th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first in the rugby in Super Rugby Pacific that the Hurricanes snuck past the Western Force at McLean Park (In that ground where a cricketer of Brett Randell who got a triple hat-trick during a first class match which was the first in its 254 year-history during the Plunket Shield match between Central Districts & Northern Districts) in Napier in the Hawke's Bay province where both Jans & Cryn live (And it's the Canes who go on top of the Super Rugby Pacific standings after round 5 along with the Blues, & we assume the lead on points difference), meanwhile that the Fijian Drua had stunned the Brumbies apart at a new venue in Ba in Fiji, then it's the Crusaders who able to get their vengeance on the Highlanders in the 2nd & final part of the great Southern derby thanks to a Johnny Lee double with him being hailed as the next Richie McCaw, while the Reds also got revenge over the Waratahs in Brisbane, & the Blues who walloped Moana Pasifika in the new Battle of the '09 rivalry (One of the 4 main Super Rugby rivalries here in New Zealand along with the great Southern derby between the Crusaders & the Highlanders, as well as the Battle of the Bombays between the Blues & the Chiefs, & the Blues-Crusaders (AKA North Vs South) rivalry) in Auckland that was marred by Augustine Pulu who tackled Sam Nock high that resulted in a sin bin, then on report before the sin binning offence had been changed to a send off because of the degree of force that deemed to be high that resulted in a convincing landslide win for the Blues, meanwhile in the Six Nations that Wales finally had a win for the first time in the Six Nations since 2023 against the tournament's surprise package of Italy in Cardiff, then Ireland dismantle Scotland in Dublin in their chances of winning the Six Nations back before France (Who had the exceptionally talented winger of Louis Bielle-Biarrey (Who reminds me of former All Black of Fijian born Joe Rokocoko due to his finishing ability of scoring tries as well as his style of play) of scoring 4 tries in a match in which he had been awarded player of the game honours for his outstanding performance) nailed their dramatic buzzer beater from fullback Thomas Ramos against England (Who got penalised not once but twice for both a dangerous tackle first (In which one of the commentators of Dewi Morris said 'Oh my word!' when one of the English players whose tackle was deemed to be dodgy as it slipped up high, while the play-by-play commentator of Martin Gillingham says that France were playing the penalty advantage, because it's a high tackle after the buzzer had been sounded, then an intentional knock-on therefore the Georgian referee had awarded a penalty to the French, then they opted a shot at goal in which the ref reluctantly agreed before Ramos nailed the penalty goal as they sent the French fans who erupt the entire Stade de France through joy & relief, as the euphoria had been marvellous effort that (As the late Richie Benaud would always say), excellent), then a deliberate knockdown second time round before the Georgian referee had awarded the penalty to the French for which they had both options, one for high contact, then the other for a deliberate knock-on, but they chose the second so that they had the chance to win the game, & they delivered) to win by 2 points in Paris when they retained the Six Nations title that they followed up from last year (And the first time that happened when a side had secured back to back Six Nations championships was the Irish in that was the year before, but that match between the French (Who go into the opening match of the Nations Championship against the AB's at the brand new Te Kaha stadium in Christchurch due in July, with a win against the English to successfully defend the Six Nations crown (Even though with the Irish who were holding their breath every time England led, but there was an Irish born player playing for France of Joshua Brennan (Son of ex-Ireland test player Trevor), who in fact denied his country of birth for their chances & their efforts of regaining the Six Nations title, but what a disappointing end for England (And especially Ireland), what a match for our viewers right around the world) in a headline that probably says: FRANCE KO'S ENGLAND TO RETAIN THE SIX NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP) & England, evokes memories of the game of the century between the Wallabies & the All Blacks (In one of the former AB's players & Crusader for life of Justin Marshall (Who used to have blonde hair, but Noah Hotham has sported it since this season began which is inspired by the man known as 'Marshy' by paying homage to it) who once said on the Breakdown programme that he had the best game that he was involved in during his playing days) in Sydney back in 2000 (Including our greatest rugby player of all-time of the late Jonah Lomu who would score that all-important but certain buzzer beater to win it with a game winning try (New Zealand led 24 - 0 where they had a fast but ideal start, including tries from Tana Umaga (Future Moana Pasifika coach), Pita Alatini, & Christian Cullen (One of my Dad's fave rugby players when he watched it on TV), until Australia (The hosts of next year's men's Rugby World Cup where they'll begin their campaign against the tournament debutants of Hong Kong China at Perth Stadium in Perth on the very first day of October, a day before the AB's get our tournament underway against Chile, then we square off against the Wallabies (Coached by former Ireland coach Joe Schmidt for the first 3 tests of the year before outgoing Reds coach Les Kiss hands the responsibilities from Schmidt) on October 9th at Stadium Australia in Sydney in probably the match of the tournament (As well as the rematch of the 2003 semifinal where the last time Australia would gone on to beat New Zealand at a men's RWC before we won the last 2 meetings against them, including in the 2011 semi where we finally had our first win at a men's Rugby World Cup against the Wallabies (Who defeated us twice way back in 1991 (Including David Campese's heroics in which he scored a try, then set it up for Tim Horan for the Aussies to hand us our first loss of the tournament (Just like the late Jonah Lomu (Who was a friend with 'Campo' off the field) in which he scored a try for the Blues against the Sharks during the 1996 Super 12 final, then set one up for Carlos Spencer) & the aforementioned one back in 2003 (Also including Stirling Mortlock who broke New Zealand hearts with a try off an intercept that surely won the game for Australia, therefore ending our chances of reaching the final) at Eden Park in Auckland, then at Twickenham in 2015 in the final where we had to beat them again to successfully defend the crown in one of the greatest men's RWC finals of all-time as well as the best men's Rugby World Cup game that I ever watched on TV) to determine who will win of taking on the world champion Boks side in the quarters of the men's RWC in another one of the most important games of the men's RWC because either of their sides could be shunted on the same side of the draw as the South Africans if they get the victory) who had to catch up by scoring 24 unanswered points to go all-square at halftime), therefore breaking Aussie hearts in a world record crowd in front of over 109,000 people that still stands as of today) where it was a high scoring affair that has been played out magnificently).

And secondly that I'm always addicted to pasta as my fave food (And I had a pasta weekend where I had pasta at Caroline's on the 13th for our big lunch, then I had leftovers for dinner that I cooked on Thursday where I had a small amount, & then on the 15th of March where I had a pasta day where I had pasta for both lunch here at our place, & dinner at St John's Club Elm's Restaurant), compared to Pops who is hooked to Indian curries because of the late Poppa Jim who seems to love that food back in the old days (And we had a curry meal there at Spice Guru on the 11th of March before I had one on March 14th where I had a small amount while Pops had one too, a day after he was having his butter chicken meal at Caroline's Boatshed).

And thirdly in the US that due to the new & updated tariff policies (Which are the big issues in which things have gone bad during the 2020s decade is having along with COVID & Gaza that they used to have, then that dreadful invasion since 2022 that are still currently having, followed by the aforementioned tariffs that are being introduced already by that dreadful American leader, & the US-Iran conflict recently in the Middle East) are being imposed by that dreadful American leader that Honda is effectively putting the brakes on it's proposed electric vehicles lineup in which they shocked the auto industry following a bombshell announcement, & while there's a particular piece of collateral damage that hits close to home for the aficionados of the Gran Turismo video game series which is the Afeela 1 therefore they won't send it's vehicles to America like that.

And lastly that there was a visitor (The one who goes to the pub regularly along with Pops at the Commercial Hotel which is New Zealand's oldest pub in the country in existence here in our place of Whanganui (My hometown since 2007 when I moved in with Dad after previously living in Raetihi for 16 years), & the last old style drinking establishment here in our country, which is in the town centre) who saw the birds that are his pets just like my late dog Buck that I used to have, especially the doves that I love at our place on the 15th of March as she posted it on Facebook after she took a video with it, before Pops showed the visitor around including the photos at our home.

So that is my 688th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 40th of this year, viva Ukraine.

Dirty Little Secret: My 39th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first the latest in the Iran war that was marred by one of the most horrific scenes in recent memory, as multiple American soldiers keep getting shot, when their troops are down in the hands of the Iranian armed forces who are taking advantage of the invasion (And it looks like they're going to win the conflict after all) under new management from the recently appointed supreme leader who is a son of a slain leader that are taking accountable to their own hands (And this is like Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones where heaps of Jedi warriors kept getting massacred by the droid army, until the clone troopers intervened by taking them towards their enemies) meaning that there has been justice for the assassination of that late Ayatollah (And that could be a turning point for them for their huge chance of victory in the conflict (That is massive), while this could be trouble for the United States in their effort to topple the current Iranian regime in which the world including us Kiwis are holding their & our breaths along with that dreadful invasion since 2022) who had been hit with casualties before they attacked the American troops (Who are cornered by the Iranian soldiers) left, right & centre in response to it therefore that there's no end in sight (And they have since closed airspace in the Middle East due to that terrible conflict that they're still having).

And secondly in gaming that I requested Dad to buy that Rugby League 2 game (For that the game was much better than Rugby League 26, but the RL2 game had players during that era such as Darren Lockyer, Andrew Johns, Benji Marshall, Sonny Bill Williams, Ruben Wiki, Stacey Jones, Steve Price, Anthony Minichello, Johnathan Thurston, Braith Anasta, Nathan Hindmarsh, Billy Slater, Mark Gasnier, Brett Kimmorley, Craig Gower, & Cameron Smith compared to today where they have Nathan Cleary, Cameron Munster, Reece Walsh, Harry Grant, Payne Haas, Patrick Carrigan, Stephen Crichton, Jahrome Hughes, Herbie Farnworth, Kalyn Ponga, Isaah Yeo, Mitchell Moses, Junior Paulo, Jarome Luai, Brian To'o, Daly Cherry-Evans, Jason Taumalolo, James Tedesco, Mark Nawaqanitawase, James Fisher-Harris, Leka Halasima, Demetric Vaimauga, Adam Doueihi, Stefano Utoikamanu, Will Warbrick, Angus Crichton, Erin Clark, Josh Addo-Carr, Clint Gutherson, Moses Leota, Valentine Holmes, Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, Kotoni Staggs, Keano Kini, Selwyn Cobbo, Nicho Hynes, Mitch Barnett, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Cameron McInnes, Addin Fonua-Blake, Marcelo Montoya, Briton Nikora, Jamayne Isaako, Jacob Kiraz, Api Koroisau, Su'a Fa'alogo, Leo Thompson, Adam Reynolds, Ezra Mam, Gehamat Shibasaki, Joseph Tapine, Josh Papali'i, Dane Gagai, Lindsay Collins, Daniel Tupou, Jayden Campbell, AJ Brimson, Greg Marzhew, Bradman Best, Dylan Edwards, Blaize Talagi, Ben Hunt, Kodi Nikorima, & Ronaldo Mulitalo) for me on the PlayStation 2 on Trade Me, & he agreed, but Dad told me that I need to hand him NZ $22 due to both the price & the additional postage & handling, & I did regarding to the price of it (And I just bought that Midnight Club 3 DUB Edition Remix game at Cash Converters as well after I went to Burger King for lunch with Pops on the 18th of March, but my PlayStation 2 gaming collection is up to 16 at the moment as of that day, compared to me having 27 PS4 games, 10 PS5 games, as well as just the 1 Xbox One game & only 1 Xbox Series X/S game, but I have a PS5 Pro console along with the 2 TB Xbox Series X gaming console, & a PS2 slim that I bought late last year also at Cash Converters when both Aunty Tan & Rejean were here at the time (And it's been 79 days since the last time me & Pops saw both of them as of March 22nd this year).

And thirdly in Formula One that the FIA has agreed to call off both the Bahrain & Saudi Arabian Grands Prix due to fears over crowd safety regarding to that escalation between the Americans, & the Iranians during that brutal war (And it's the first time this has been happened (Aside from its rescheduling during the COVID era in 2020 that have wreaked havoc, especially the sporting world) since 2023 where the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix who were due to host that Grand Prix had been cancelled due to severe flooding in Italy, but it's not the first time that the Bahrain Grand Prix was called off, & it was in 2011 as a result of civil unrest) that has been dreadful & shocking meaning that the number of Grand Prix races this season are down to 22 therefore leaving a 5 week, 35 day gap between the Japanese & the Miami Grands Prix (While no replacement races such as Portugal (They're due to host a race next year as a replacement for the Dutch Grand Prix), & Emilia Romagna (They last hosted a race which was last year before the new Madring circuit in Madrid, Spain had taken over) had been given as a result of that invasion, even though with the Japanese Grand Prix are expected to take place on the weekend on the 27th to 29th of March, the last before the 5 week break coming since both the races in Bahrain & Saudi Arabia scheduled to take place, has been called off to suit the constructors (With Mercedes-AMG & Ferrari are battling on top even though 2 races are complete meaning that there's 20 to go in the new season) taking their time of developing their new cars (And Aston Martin (Headed by its key technical boffin of Adrian Newey) who are powered by Honda are in sorts of strife as one of their drivers of Canadian Lance Stroll had to retire from the race in China due to mechanical failure where the car had broken down (And Aston Martin are heading to Honda's home race in Japan where they're having their rough start to the new season, compared to IndyCar where their hybrid units are in fact, reliable, & the World Rally Championship have already ditched their hybrid units since last year thinking that it's not suitable for the teams like Hyundai, M-Sport Ford, & Toyota), so too are the defending constructors champions McLaren, & their reigning world champion Lando Norris who retired from the race along with Aussie teammate Oscar Piastri who had his 2nd DNF of the season), meanwhile the Finalissima between Argentina & Spain were set to originally take place in Lusail, Qatar, might be moved to Madrid as well because of that invasion (And they had to be cancelled at last due to scheduling constraints, & the invasion in the Middle East), but the latest in F1 as the young gun of Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes-AMG makes history in China of becoming the first Italian driver to win in Formula 1 since the man effectually known as 'Fisi/Fisico', of Giancarlo Fisichella in Malaysia back in 2006, & he becomes the 2nd youngest to win an F1 race (The current all-time record is set by Max Verstappen in Spain 2016 where he famously won after both Mercedes-AMG drivers of Lewis Hamilton (The defending world champion at the time), & the eventual champion of German Nico Rosberg who both tangle on the opening lap of the race), while our own Kiwi of Liam Lawson in RB Racing Bulls, who has finished 7th place following his most impressive, but solid outing in a Grand Prix.

And finally in the rugby such as firstly in Super Rugby Pacific during round 4 that the Chiefs thrash Moana Pasifika in Hamilton, then the Hurricanes who thumped the NSW Waratahs in Sydney, as well as the Highlanders who manhandled the Western Force in Dunedin while the Blues have thumped the Crusaders in Auckland (Well, I thought that the Blues lost to the Crusaders, but however ended up winning them of course thanks to a hat-trick from Caleb Clarke (A second generation rugby player who is the son of famous player Eroni), & the Reds end the Brumbies chances of remaining undefeated in the competition in Carter Gordon's comeback season following a stint in rugby league with the Gold Coast Titans NRL side last season in an attempt to return to the Wallaby jersey of when he had a buzzer beater injury stoppage time moment of securing that match winning try, meanwhile in the Six Nations that Scotland had ended France's chances of securing the grand slam with a comprehensive win in Edinburgh, & then that happened when Italy defeated England for the first time in Six Nations history in Rome where they turned the rugby world upside down in one of the biggest upsets in the tournament to date of all time akin to a David against Goliath battle.

So that is my 687th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 39th of this year, viva Ukraine.

Saturday, 16 May 2026

Your Favourite Toy: My 38th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first that I still miss my late close friend, even though she passed away 4 months ago as of March 7th, so I love her old car that now belongs to Pops (Although Andy (He was the one who told me for some reason that he & Pops misses her, even though he used to have afternoon tea with her during the time she was alive (But now Pops goes to the Commercial Hotel every day to have a zero alcohol beer every time as an afternoon tea), but Pops misses Nan (Well, I miss her too since she passed away over a decade ago) so much because of his marriage for 49 years) has handed it to him, but the car had been scratched due to it running over plants that made the car had warps & dents according to the comment from our friendly neighbour Mike just before we went to the River Traders Market on March 7th, & we saw both Dad & Raewyn there at the Burrow) & the reason why that I listen to Brian FM whilst being on that car, compared to the Ford (He'll still use it when getting new plants at Mitre 10, but he had driven to it since 2021) that I wasn't being able to listen it due to a battery change since the old battery had been flat such as leaving the lights on.

And secondly in gaming that I asked Dad to purchase that Cricket 07 PlayStation 2 game for me on Trade Me & he agreed for which is due to arrive in Whanganui on March 7th (And I have not played that Cricket 07 game since 2010 before I even traded my PS2 for my PS3 which lasted for 3 years where the revised model had received a YLOD (Yellow light of death) in 2013, before getting the PS3 slim until Dad traded it for me in 2016 at EB Games when he got the original PS4 for me, 3 years before getting my PS4 Pro model where I handed my old PS4 to Jans until I traded it in in 2024 where I sold it for money, & now I've got the PS5 Pro (Used to have the original PS5 model, then the PS5 slim) the Xbox Series X 2TB console (I also used to have the 1TB model) & the PlayStation 2 Slim gaming consoles respectively), but Dad got it for me meaning that I was stoked when it arrived so I finally played that game for 16 years (I manage to play & recreate the Group game against Australia & the semi against South Africa, then the finals of the men's Cricket World Cups' in 2015 against Australia as New Zealand & 2019 against England also as the Black Caps, as well as the men's T20 Cricket World Cup final in 2021 against the Aussies as New Zealand & the Champions Trophy final from last year against India also as the Black Caps (And I did manage to play against India as New Zealand in anticipation of the men's T20 CWC final), & the game is better than the modern cricket games that I own on both the PS4 & PS5 such as Ashes Cricket, Cricket 19, then Cricket 22, as well as Cricket 24, & Cricket 26, & it is certainly my favourite Playstation 2 game along with the holy trinity of Star Wars Battlefront II from 2005, V8 Supercars 3, & Rugby 08 therefore merging into the big 4 just like the 4 main heavy metal bands circulated around that they used to have such as Anthrax, Megadeth, Metallica, & Slayer.

And thirdly that I was rewatching an old Super Rugby game (Just a couple of days after Dave Rennie has all but been confirmed to be the new All Blacks coach following an announcement on March 4th when he beat the likes of current Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph as replacement for Scott Robertson who decided to move on, as the ex-Chiefs & Wallabies coach is the first New Zealand head coach of Pacific Island descent (His family hails from the Cook Islands, so that's why that he hails from Palmerston North with his wife & both sons, & what was my reaction of him being appointed? Well, I guess we're going to win the World Cup, am I right? Yes indeed (And he would've stayed on as Wallabies coach after 2022 where Australia would've guided it through to the quarterfinals, then the semi of the 2023 men's Rugby World Cup (But they hired Eddie Jones instead which turned out to be a disaster as they failed to reach to knockouts for the first time (Why didn't they pick Noah Lolesio? When they opted for Carter Gordon (The ex-league player) instead) in men's RWC history), just like Rassie Erasmus in 2018 following his appointment as the Springboks coach thinks that the 2019 men's Rugby World Cup was a year away that he was the one of being able to turn it around of actually winning that tournament, & he agreed upon so) from the archives between the Crusaders & the Blues from 2004 at the old Lancaster Park (For which will be replaced by a new venue of Te Kaha in time for the Super Round, but that stadium's opening day won't serve alcohol to customers due to the ANZAC day legislation about the war on alcohol on a public holiday like that) where the key highlights of that game were Rupeni Caucaunibuca's try that he scored, even though Ben Blair (Who missed the 2003 men's Rugby World Cup for the All Blacks through injury) tried to tackle him before Rupeni (Who the All Blacks should have picked him, but he was ineligible due to him being from Fiji, but there was one rugby fan that someone would rank as their favourite) sprinted all the way to the try line, & then the length of the field stunner which started from inside their own in-goal area when Joe Rokocoko (And why did the All Black selectors chose him instead of Caucaunibuca, because he was eligible at the time) ran, then passed it to Justin Collins before giving the ball to their star first-five at the time of Carlos Spencer who scored that all-important try, then he was able to convert it after being scored by him meaning that the game was over (And the Blues had to nullify that Crusaders losing bonus, even if the kick went over by Spencer therefore that his try had been converted according to Tony 'TJ' Johnson in commentary during the match).

And lastly in football/soccer that there are the 2 protege's of both Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo & his main rival from Argentina of Lionel Messi, such as Frenchman Kylian Mbappe on Ronaldo's side, & young Spanish wonderkid of Lamine Yamal on Messi's side, because both Ronaldo & Messi (And their apprentices of Mbappe & Yamal) enjoy success such as Portugal winning Euro 2016 (Two years before Kylian won the Football/Soccer men's World Cup for France back in 2018), then winning the UEFA Nations League twice under CR7 (Including last year the he fought against Lamine in the final between both Iberian rivals of Portugal & Spain (As well as Argentina led by Messi took on France with their star talisman Mbappe in the Football/Soccer men's World Cup final which was the greatest World Cup final ever of all-time that the Argentinians tasted success of lifting the trophy since 1986 when they triumphed on spot kicks against the reigning champs at the time of becoming the new world champions in men's football according to the previous stories that I did on my blogs before (Including Randall Kolo Muani who thought that he scored the winning goal for the French that would've retained the World Cup, but it wasn't to be as Messi's main wingman of goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez who made that fine save to prevent a certain goal from being scored, forcing them into a penalty shootout that really decided the tournament), then Argentina went on to win the Copa America twice in 2021 before successfully defending it in the year before under Leo (Same year that Lamine Yamal first tasted success at the Euros in the same year for Spain), but Argentina & Portugal have never met in a World Cup between the 2 star men of both Cristiano Ronaldo & Lionel Messi (Well they could met in the quarterfinal of this year's tournament with both sides needing to win groups & are in their twilight of their careers), compared to Spain met France who met twice because it was at the semifinal of Euro 2024 when Lamine Yamal played against Kylian Mbappe (Who fought against Ronaldo one last time in a quarterfinal that the French won on penalties, compared to the delayed 2020 tournament in 2021 where they first fought against each other that resulted in a drawn match during the group stage), then they met again of last year's semi of the UEFA Nations League.

So that is my 686th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 38th of this year, viva Ukraine.

P.S. Apologies to interrupt my blog, as we acknowledge the late Wally Wall's wife of Diana who is better known as Di, who sadly passed away recently due to declining health, & our sincere thoughts, prayers & heartfelt condolences to her as well as her whanau & loved ones back in Auckland for that emotional, tough time, rest in love.

Friday, 15 May 2026

Can't Get Enough: My 37th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first that the new F1 season is due to get underway on the weekend of the 6th to the 8th of March starting with new loopholes regarding to the car design, then there will be a new fuel fee worth 200 American bucks in which constructors have to pay the full price as part of the cost cap, & of course the 3.0 litre V10s in the 1990's were by far better, compared to today's 1.6 litre V6 turbo hybrids that sound utter garbage, according to the Sky Sport Late Braking show hosted by Murph (Greg Murphy) who was joined by his old rivals of James 'JC' Courtney (The former champion from 2010 who will be the race director in one of either the F3 or F2 races as well as a pundit & a part-time real estate agent, & is predicting that Ferrari will dominate the Grand Prix with either one of their drivers of Charles Leclerc or Lewis Hamilton (The multiple world champ) & Jack 'Jacko/JP' Perkins (Son of the man effectually known as 'LP' of Larry the motor racing legend) who is a motor racing car restorer & historian who also predicts that Mercedes-AMG should be the standout in that race with their Italian driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli expected to outperform his British teammate George Russell who Perkins described him as a whinging Pom (And both the Bahrain & Saudi Arabian Grand Prix events are in doubt, which is marred by the US & Israeli invasion of Iran that began following the assassination of a Iranian Ayatollah that triggered a certain war, just like the Gran Turismo World Series event in Abu Dhabi in the UAE, has been called off amid fears & reasons regarding of regional security during the situation in the Middle East (And the conflict between America & Israel on Iran & their ally Hezbollah, is often reminiscent of Iraq way back in 2003 (Where they toppled the late Saddam Hussein (Who was captured by US forces in December that year before being sentenced to death for charges regarding to the war crimes that he committed) & their regime, but why the hell that they wouldn't mention the GT World Series cancellation in Abu Dhabi about the word of war? (But did anyone say war?) Because they want to avoid that being called an invasion which could be bad for these people with most referring to it as concerns about the safety of crowds attending the event, but I personally say that Zaki & his family, especially his wife Aysha & the children of Areje & her husband Marc the Aussie, then Yasser, his wife Afif & their son Kace (Grandson of Zaki & Aysha), are going to be alright especially at home in the United Arab Emirates because of the situation over there in Iran, even though with the Islamic holy month of Ramadan fast approaching that is just around the corner) until 2011 where US forces had to pull out therefore ending their invasion). 

And secondly in Super Rugby Pacific news that Moana Pasifika got beaten in the hands of the Western Force in Pukekohe, while the Reds dispatched the Highlanders with a win in Brisbane, then the Fijian Drua hand the Hurricanes their first defeat of the season, just like the Chiefs did when they fell short against the defending champions Crusaders (They were 14 - 0 down as they capitalised when they took the lead at halftime with a penalty goal that the Chiefs chances of leading at the break proved costly after conceding a silly penalty for a lifting tackle in which the Chiefs fans were infuriated about the decision (Just like me about the Iran invasion for which I'm absolutely infuriated with just like that dreadful invasion since 2022) who would finally register their first victory of the new season in Hamilton (Their first in the city in 3 years since the Super Rugby Pacific final in 2023) thanks to a hat-trick by one of the Crusaders loose forwards of Christian Lio-Willie (And they lose both players such as Tamaiti Williams who is suspended in wake of dangerous play in the 15th minute (And he wasn't carded by the referee, but got cited by the foul play review committee that had him banned for 3 weeks (Or could be trimmed to a fortnight if he is chosen to attend tackle academy meaning that he'll be available for the clash against Moana Pasifika, but every time I watch if there is a TMO referral for foul play regarding to unsafe head contact that they must bear in mind that it's not that dreadful invasion since 2022, and that it's not Iran now, because of both senseless conflicts that they're having (And there used to be Gaza as well when Israel invaded Hamas from 2023 until last year with a ceasefire deal being set up by America), & Will Jordan who'll miss the game against the Blues along with Williams due to an All Blacks enforced rest requirement protocol), & the Brumbies remain on top of the standings after claiming a 3 point victory against the Blues who botched their chances of securing victory in Canberra (And there hasn't been a full Super Rugby final held in Australia for 12 years in which they last time they did that was in 2014 where Sydney, Australia hosted it when the Waratahs had become the new champions of Super Rugby after clinging on from a late Crusaders charge in which the red & blacks miss out on a golden opportunity to become champion (And they had to wait, until 2017 in which they managed to outwit the Lions who finished the regular season on top of the table in which was the last time a full Super Rugby final was hosted outside of New Zealand when it was held in Joburg, South Africa at Ellis Park) with a dramatic buzzer beater.

And thirdly in the gaming that during the Star Wars Battlefront II game from 2005 (Not the one from 2017) where they have both eras to choose from of the Clone Wars (The 2 factions that took part including both the Confederacy (Similar to Iran) & Galactic Republic (With the United States sharing the same role) units) & the Galactic Civil War (Also both factions who took part are the Galactic Empire (Also similar to the country who started it that dreadful invasion since 2022) & Rebellion troops (Also with Ukraine sharing the same role) that are very similar to that terrible conflict that they had since 2022 (Galactic Civil War), & the one in Iran (Clone Wars), meanwhile in GTA IV that engaging in a police shootout before engaging in a drug deal (Gang activity) or a criminal fleeing a crime scene/a criminal or suspect resisting arrest (Criminal on foot) as Niko Bellic (Who is exactly a Eastern European who are just like Slavic people like in Ukraine) is similar to that shocking war that began in 2022 (And has continued since), but without the drones similar to the ICE shootings, & also engaging in a police shooting (Or a drug war such as either the stickup or stash alongside both Armando & Henrique (And I do not do both convoy or highjack) where I take out those gangsters who are like criminals as well as drug dealers, then the police) as Luis Lopez (Who is a Latin American/Hispanic who look like either people who are Arab/Middle Eastern, & indigenous Māori or Pacific Island people in terms of their ethnicity according to the previous stories that I did on my blogs) in the Ballad of Gay Tony expansion pack evokes memories of the US/Israel conflict on Iran & Hezbollah, but also with no drones as well.

And finally in the cricket that I have not been following such as the Black Caps were finally able to beat South Africa by 9 wickets in the 1st semifinal at Eden Gardens in Kolkata therefore gaining vengeance towards them following our defeat in the group stages of the tournament (First the South Africans, then England in the Super 8's in which that the last time we lost a match) to go through to our 2nd men's T20 Cricket World Cup final (Our first since 2021 in which we fell short against Australia led by Aaron 'Finchy' Finch who hoisted the trophy aloft in Dubai (And we were without Devon 'Dev' Conway due to a broken hand after being dismissed in the semi against the English that he was striking with his bat, therefore causing an injury that forced him to miss the final meaning that we're gutted about the result), and it was that moment that Glenn Maxwell hit the winning runs because it was during the final that Mitch Marsh were able to put on his heroics of a virtuoso batting performance display) thanks to an unbeaten ton from our opening batter of Finn Allen (Who starred as part of the Perth Scorchers success in the 2025-26 BBL season as he battled through cramp during our all-important semi) of 100 not out, but we're playing against the host nation of India after their overwhelmingly dominant performance over England (Including the 2 vital catches of Axar Patel & Jasprit Bumrah's bowling excellence of execution that sent them through to appear in another final that sent the Indian fans, especially the home crowd crazy) in the other semi at the Wandhede Stadium in Mumbai (Including Jacob Bethell who scored a century when he top scored 105 during the semi, but it wasn't decent enough for the English to propel them to the final where they could've broken Indian hearts) to appear in the men's T20 Cricket World Cup final yet again, in their quest of becoming the first side to go back to back of successfully defending the crown (So who's it going to be, whether it's Mitchell Santner who is attempting to become New Zealand's first ever men's T20 World Cup winning captain (And our first ICC sanctioned white ball cricket tournament event win since 2000 in the Knockout Trophy), or will it be Suryakumar Yadav to become the 3rd different Indian skipper to lift the trophy after MS Dhoni back in 2007, & Rohit Sharma the year before in which India haven't lost a final since 2014 against Sri Lanka? But the Black Caps is yet to taste defeat against the Indians in men's T20 Cricket World Cup history (Our last meeting between the two at a men's T20 CWC was in 2021 where we absolutely smoked them in the process during a group stage encounter when the tournament was held in both the UAE & Oman (And our most recent meeting against India was during the 5th & final T20 where the Indians had dominated that match that secured a 4 - 1 series win over us, therefore going into the tournament with a win), but our winning streak against India (Who are slight favourites in terms of squad depth after their semifinal victory over England, but will Abhishek Sharma make the difference after a shaky start to the tournament with barely one half-ton which was against the surprise package of Zimbabwe? We'll find that out if we need to contain the Indian batters & bowlers who were super good throughout the men's T20 Cricket World Cup in their efforts to defend the title, but only both resiliency & consistency is always the key of winning a certain cricket match, especially in the final for which is vital) in men's T20 cricket's global showpiece event is on the line in due course on March 8th (9th here in New Zealand) in Ahmedabad at Narendra Modi Stadium).

So that is my 685th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 37th of this year, viva Ukraine.

Saturday, 9 May 2026

Holy Roller: My 36th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first that I have revealed who the name of my Facebook friend Marisa Lopez's husband is, & it's Josh Celestino who I refer to him as Joshua, but I have never met him before along with Marisa (Marty's daughter from a previous relationship as well as niece of the late Carole Webb & cousin of the late Carole's son Andy (I don't know whether he acquired a property that is Tikitere who could be his home away from home, but I'll go & ask him anyway, while that house isn't still available for sale if ready) in person (And there has been an update that the late Carole's old house is available for sale recently since they did a spruce up in preparation for it, but nobody has sold it lately).

And secondly onto the music related story that the lead singer of Green Day of Billie Joe Armstrong during the production of the politically charged American Idiot album (That came out back in 2004 (A year after their album should've been released also back in 2003 called Cigarettes & Valentines, up until that point where the master tapes had been stolen that led to the creation of American Idiot where they started all over again, from scratch as I mentioned on my previous stories about my blogs before), 4 years after releasing their unsuccessful album of Warning back in 2000 after it was being panned by most music critics such as their sound had been lacking due to the drastic decline of the bands popularity & public image) who revealed that he convinced his sons of abstaining different stuff, such as gaming & distressing news images seen on TV of both the tragic September 11th attacks also back in 2001 & the Iraq War from 2003 until 2011 as part of the war on terror according to that certain Wikipedia page that I saw about the American Idiot album by the American pop punk band Green Day.

And thirdly in the motor racing stuff as there was a bit of a shock when the streets of Adelaide (Who previously hosted a Formula One Grand Prix event from 1985, until '95 before they moved to Melbourne where they have been there from 1996 until 2019, & since 2022) had announced that they're going to host an Aussie round of Moto GP (For which I have not mentioned on my blogs before about the world's premier motorcycle racing championship) beginning next year as they take over from Philip Island who had been ditched for which will host the final race this year on October 25th, before Adelaide takes over for their historic, world first ever inaugural Moto GP street race (But most people are alluding about their concerns regarding to the emphasis of safety for that has been controversial in terms of motorcycle racing standards (And there has been trees everywhere so that the riders have got to be aware, & watch out for dangerous hazards like these) according to Greg 'Rusty' Rust, the Australian motor racing announcer who appeared on New Zealand motor racing legend Greg Murphy's new fast-paced motor racing show, Late Braking on Sky Sport New Zealand that I've seen recently.

And lastly in football/soccer that New Zealand captain Chris Wood is expected to be available for this year's Football/Soccer men's World Cup in North America (It will be broadcasted on TVNZ & TVNZ+, compared to Sky broadcasting this year's scaled down Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland (In which 16 year old New Zealand rookie of Sam Ruthe who is attempting gold in mid distance racing), as well as the inaugural World Rugby Nations Championship, & the AB's retro tour to South Africa for the first time in 3 decades billed as 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry' between the defending men's Rugby World Cup holders the Springboks, & the All Blacks (Champions of the last 5 men's RWC's such as South Africa back in 2007, before New Zealand took over also back in both 2011 & 2015, & then the South Africans again back in 2019, & in 2023 (Meanwhile that the last 5 men's Rugby World Cup tournaments, had been dominated by both the traditional rivals of South Africa & New Zealand (England was the last in 2003 before the dominance of both the Boks & the AB's got underway since 2007) for the All Whites (Who'll make their first appearance in men's football/soccer's global showpiece event since South Africa 2010) which is good news for the majority of the Kiwi football/soccer fans, as he is expected to recover from that knee injury sustained in either September or October this season last year during a Premier League match that he hasn't played since he had an op to repair it that bolstered New Zealand's chances for a World Cup push according to the Whanganui Chronicle newspaper sports news article that I saw in a headline that says: WOOD NEWS IS GOOD NEWS FOR NEW ZEALAND (And unlike that there was one point that I saw in the Bert Trautman movie from 2019 that Manchester has the largest Jewish population ever in the UK at the time for which was controversial about his signing for a club of Manchester City that nationalists, especially white supremacists should not belong there).

So that is my 684th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 36th of this year, viva Ukraine.

Friday, 8 May 2026

Ride: My 35th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first the latest in the Super Rugby in round 2 such as the Hurricanes (Who lost first five Brett Cameron for what looks to be a serious injury, even though he could be ruled out of the season just like Harry Godfrey whose season is already over after sustaining an injury during practice last year for Hawke's Bay when the NPC was held during that time) began their campaign with a thrashing over Moana Pasifika in Wellington while the NSW Waratahs ended up winning against the Fijian Drua in Sydney with Max Jorgensen being the standout of the Waratahs players when the Drua struggled, followed by the Chiefs remain undefeated in the competition as they dealt with of beating the Highlanders in Dunedin by 3 points, as well as the Blues who had a win over the Western Force (Who had the Blues 3 try bonus point being taken away at that point) in Joondalup & then the ACT Brumbies who have their most standout player of Charlie Cale (A Wallaby in waiting who made a difference of securing a win over the Force in the opening round) as they pulverized the defending champion Crusaders side in Christchurch to register their first win in more than quarter of a century ago (And their Brumbies coach of Stephen Larkham has been ruled out of contention of applying for the AB's head coach job thinking that he declared that Australia has always been his home, & forever shall be).

And secondly in the gaming department that I have 4 fave video games to play every day as of today such as Gran Turismo 7 (My favourite racing game in the modern era (Which came out in 2022 therefore that it's been 4 years since the release of the game on the 4th of March in that year (Same year that Argentina won their 3rd Football/Soccer men's World Cup title in Qatar following their win against the defending World Cup holders at the time of France on spot kicks that marked the first & long-awaited World Cup win for Argentina's inspirational captain, Lionel Messi, & their first since 1986 when Messi's idol growing up of the late Diego Maradona, hoisted the trophy aloft in Mexico, followed by that dreadful invasion by that country who started it on Ukraine for which is still going as of today, the passing of Her late Majesty the Queen happened in September that year due to natural causes over in Scotland for which was emotional indeed, then there is the global emergence of the COVID restrictions, as well as global inflation being soared relating to that terrible conflict & the war on abortion in America got underway since the overturning of Roe against Wade according to the US Supreme Court), & if not since the days of V8 Supercars 3 (Known as TOCA Race Driver 3 worldwide except Australia, Benelux, Germany & New Zealand, & DTM Race Driver 3 in Germany & Benelux) on the PS5, then V8SC3 (My fave racing car game back in the day when I got it for my 16th birthday back in 2007, then I owned it until 2010 when I traded in my PlayStation 2 at EB Games for my PS3 which I used to have) on the PlayStation 2, as well as Grand Theft Auto IV (My favourite shooting game since Star Wars Battlefront II 2005 (Also has been by far, my fave Star Wars game since I first played it 16 years ago back in 2010) on the Xbox Series X console via backwards compatibility, & Star Wars Battlefront II 2005 (My favourite shooting game from the past) also on the PS2, while the reason why is because of me reliving the glory days from the past for which I'm having my moment of joy as well as the modern era like now playing these games that I literally enjoy since I purchased that PS2 slim at Cash Converters (For what appeared to be my fave shop since EB closed down in January this year) in December last year (And the loading times on the PlayStation 2 seemed to be longer than current generation consoles with their loading times on both the PS5 & Xbox Series X/S are in fact, drastically shorter than gaming consoles from the past like the PlayStation 2), well I'm always a follower of Star Wars, GTA, motor racing (Well, I might even be a petrolhead, needless to say), & rugby (I'm always a footy fanatic, but I sometimes like ice hockey for that is a fast paced version of rugby) as a matter of fact.

And thirdly that there is one word that I extremely hate at the moment, & that is autocracy which is a system of government by a single person with absolute power meaning that the legislations on dissent have been tightened, just like the United States under that dreadful American leader (Who I label him as a vindictive, shameless president who is like a bully), then the country who launched that shocking invasion since 2022, as well as nationalist Germany during the 1930s to 40s period, & the fictional Galactic Empire in the Star Wars original trilogy which is inspired by nationalist Germany (And I don't know whether South Africa during apartheid wasn't an autocratic country, therefore it was held under an authoritarian regime), but what happens if New Zealand becomes an autocratic country? Is that the pro right wing conservative National party takes full control by stamping out on dissent just like during World War II where most Kiwis cannot voice their disapproval about the Second World War (And this is like the war on online abuse such as foul language, racism, homophobia, islamophobia & antisemitism, & cyberbullying (For which the 2 such as online abuse & cyberbullying are non-existent) in fact that the online safety measures have been strengthened since then that they can't do now as of today (And if they do, they'll be caught & slapped with punishments &/or sanctions being all over the place) where they now report of alerting it to the authorities who detect it if there is anyone being abused online or have been cyberbullied), but there has been an update as the Iranian leader has been assassinated by a joint American-Israeli effort when a large scale assault such as an air strike had pulverised the girls school building which resulted being blown up or exploded I should say in that the Iranian president survived the impact of the rubble with injuries according to Dad (Well, I miss living with him since I moved in with Pops to be my living companion 9 years ago back in 2017 when I took over from the late Nan who passed a decade ago also back in January 2016 (A year until we used to have a beagle mastiff cross dog named Buck until he unfortunately got put down for both separate dog biting incidents in 2021, but we still got a wooden dog in honor & memory of him that the dog used to watch the rugby with us) by taking her place, unlike Luke who chose to remain good of not killing his dad of Darth Vader during the Return of the Jedi movie for which the Emperor was infuriated with as he chose to murder Luke for his refusal of becoming evil by request of executing him with force lightning, until Vader intervened that he embraced the light side of tossing Darth Sidious to the reactor shaft as Palpatine fell to his original death, therefore rescuing his son from getting killed (Compared to Mace Windu during Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith that he had his arm sliced by a blue coloured lightsaber in the hands of Anakin (The one that he defeated Count Dooku in a duel on the Invisible Hand, before executing him instantly after originally convinced of not murdering him so badly) who became evil, therefore stopping him from killing Chancellor Palpatine who revealed as Sidious as he really murdered Windu with force lightning) who alluded to me on the 1st of March meaning that the regime change could be in effect immediately (Although reports of the supreme leader who got terminated had been confirmed by that dreadful American leader (Who survived an assassination attempt the year before during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania) as one of the most villains in history according to the Truth Social Post forum, as the people of Iran celebrate the Iranian Ayatollah who had been wiped out, had ruled the nation for nearly 40 years, therefore ending decades of anti-American beliefs, & regional proxy warfare, for which I'm stoked about it (And what was my reaction? I was like holy hell that I reacted about the news of the Iranian leader getting neutralized for which was the greatest triumphs I have ever seen because of him being destroyed in an air strike (And the US President must say that the Iranian leader was at the girls school sooner than expected) once, & for all (Because he has control of the country & the government as he is too dangerous to be left alive, dreadful eh? That is terrible & shocking as Pops once described it) is like the AB's winning the men's Rugby World Cup according to the comment from Dad that I literally remember, but the day is theirs such as the Americans & Israelis, well done gentlemen), but let's say that Iran doesn't remain as an autocratic state (And I watched it on CNN for the first time since February 25th about the news report of the 4th anniversary of that dreadful invasion that began since 2022 which was the largest scale invasion happened in Europe since World War II), but the latest as the US & Israel's invasion of Iran & their ally, Hezbollah, has begun as a war had been issued after the assassination of that Iranian leader (Just like when World War I began in the aftermath of Archbishop Duke Franz Ferdinand got assassinated on June 1914 that caused Austria & Hungary to launch their invasion on Serbia, as the assassination triggered a chain reaction of alliances and ultimatums), as the death toll surpasses more than 550 including US service men who were reservists while US jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwait (And many predicted that they fear about that both Israel (Who invaded Lebanon again for the first time since the year before during the height of the Gaza invasion) & the US (Their armed forces were unable to shoot down those Shahed drones due to that it is bullet resistant, while the Americans are asking war-torn Ukraine to provide drones in order to eliminate these Iranian troops) might lose that war against Iran & their ally Hezbollah (A terrorist group from Lebanon) according to most estimates such as a news report being circulated around throughout, while the Iranian football/soccer team's participation in the football/soccer men's World Cup is in limbo due to that certain conflict between Israel & the United States (Who barred Iranian citizens from completely entering that country, along with Haitians), against Iran & Hezbollah, & I fear that it is going to be World War III that might get started, but our Ngapo family are safe here, especially in New Zealand where it is our most peaceful country (And if we were involved in such wars, we would be targeted by being attacked), & the safest along with Argentina, Indonesia & South Africa even if the Third World War breaks out potentially, and I'm demanding that both invasions such as that dreadful conflict since 2022 (Who I label that leader who started that shocking invasion is a scumbag, & of course that dreadful American leader) & in Iran, must end right here, right now! But this ends now! Or else it must be stopped. But they can't now as they won't both wars to keep going throughout (And the 2020s decade must've been a problem such as first COVID, then that dreadful invasion since 2022, then they used to have the Gaza one, as well as the US becoming an autocratic country dominated by white supremacy, & now Iran for which has been a huge issue going on there for which I label it as my watershed moment for which I'm getting so sick & tired of these damn conflicts needing for a peaceful end to these wars, not only due to the fact that I'm infuriated about it that terrible conflict since 2022 (Where they are trying to bring it as a sustainable peace settlement (And I'm not supporting either these countries because of them showing intense hostility between the 2 countries, (Booooo! Same old hell! Change the channel! Boring!) along with the country who started that shocking conflict meaning that I only go for Ukraine in support & solidarity towards them, especially the people), & I mean, well, there you go, that is a disgrace to the propaganda (Also another word that I extremely hate along with autocracy for these words that I label, have gone too far) because it's cynical, & it's all lies, but they'll be serious ramifications resulted from that, not least they'll be couple of millions of non-supporters of the US President (Whom I'm booing him again just like last year for starting a war known as that dreadful American leader's war for good abuse (Just like South African born New Zealand cricketer Neil 'Wags' Wagner who got jeered by a hostile Central Districts crowd who never appreciated him when the Northern Districts cricket team played in Palmerston North some years ago) are pretty filthy for which is a furore in that the United Nations (Formed since the end of WWII) is on a brink of collapse by July, even if they run out of money in the middle of a political backlash (Mainly due to multiple geopolitical tensions that surrounded around the world, especially on climate change, but I'm not happy about both invasions that rocked the world on planet earth), & I mean, damn it! This is ridiculous! That is BS, utter BS at the moment (And I'm absolutely brassed off at the moment), but they actually think that the two wars are a sabotage, stop!) because these could last forever, maybe in 20 or 30 years, or even a century if they don't sort something out, unlike Reconquista for which is known as the Iberian religious invasions that lasted about 781 years as the most lengthy but prolonged war in history which began in 711, & lasted until about 1492 (But there hasn't been a global war for 81 years since World War II ended in 1945 (2 years prior to the Cold War which began in 1947 with the doctrine provided by the late US President Harry Truman who announced it as a result of the formal adoption of an American guideline of containment against Soviet expansion, & lasted until 1991 (The year of my birth on June 7th) with the fall of the Soviet Union) with the atomic bombs being dropped by the US Air Force in Japan in cities like Hiroshima & Nagasaki that turned into post-apocalyptic scenery according to the previous story that I did on my blog before).

And finally that in the music related news as the American rockers of the Foo Fighters announce a new album called Your Favourite Toy (A follow-up to the album that came out in 2023 called But Here We Are) which is due for release on the 24th of April (Same month that the new One New Zealand Stadium (AKA Te Kaha or more likely, Canterbury Multi-use Arena for that is going to host league games including both the NRL game between the Warriors against the Cowboys in front of a sell-out crowd in June (Just like the AB's-France test takes place on July 4th as part of the historic first match of the new Nations Championship), & a men's League World Cup match being staged between New Zealand & the Cook Islands due in October) in Christchurch is due to open with the Super Round for that will be their first since the year before in Melbourne where all but one teams gather in Christchurch to participate in a match at a single venue just like the NRL having Magic Round where 16 out of the 17 teams take part at one venue at Suncorp Stadium (Lang Park for which will host the final of this year's edition of the men's League World Cup just like in both 2008 & 2017) in Brisbane) this year (3 years after previous album, But Here We Are came out in 2023 a year after Taylor Hawkins took his own life in Colombia whilst the band were having a world tour over there in 2022) whilst they announced a world tour that gets underway in the middle of 2026 in June with a Stadium tour across the UK & Europe, then the US right until September in support of the album (Which features the single, 'Asking for a Friend' that came out in October last year for that will serve as the closing track of the album) for which is the first to have Ilan Rubin involved on drums as he took over from Josh Freese who got fired from the band as Rubin, who joined the group after touring line-up changes following Hawkins' passing.

So that is my 683rd blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 35th of this year, viva Ukraine.

Saturday, 2 May 2026

Some Nights: My 34th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger (And it's only a day until Star Wars day to all of the followers of the space opera franchise unofficially, as it gears up for its 50th anniversary which takes place next year with the release of the first film long ago in 1977), but first that a dreadful shooting had taken place in British Columbia in Canada where a shooter (Who got suspended from ChatGPT for furtherance of violent activities in which the company behind them should've alerted the cops, & if she was alive that the gun person would've been jailed (Or more likely imprisoned I should say) believed to be a female who shot, including her mother & her half-brother as well as 6 children at a school then injuring 25, then she got killed by authorities in a small town in Tumbler Ridge where it was one of the worst mass shootings in Canadian history (And all thoughts, prayers & heartfelt condolences go to the victims of that dreadful shooting by that senseless gun person, oh my god! (I can't believe it!).

And secondly that it's been 15 years since that fateful day that shook Christchurch when that tragic magnitude 6.3 earthquake in that city (Which is the second largest city in New Zealand behind Auckland, but ahead of Wellington as well as the largest city in the South Island) that claimed the lives of 185 people at exactly 12:51pm on Tuesday February 22nd, 2011 (That's 8 years prior to tragedy being struck with that dreadful mass mosque massacre back in 2019 (The year before the COVID pandemic struck in 2020) where a senseless pro far-right wing conservative gunman who murdered 51 people who have Islamic beliefs (And that perpetrator is currently serving an imprisonment for life sentence for the certain crimes that he committed such as a mass killing charge (Oh that's got to be shocking indeed), but our firearm legislations had been tweaked following such tragedy to address our country of keeping it safe, but Pops once told me whilst on the way home to Caroline's Boatshed on April 10th that afternoon that the late John F Kennedy who got shot therefore he was assassinated as the United States weren't strict on these firearm legislations, compared to Australia, New Zealand, Norway, & the United Kingdom since those tragic events were unfolded with the Port Arthur shootings way back in 1996 (And it's been 30 years since tragedy had struck in Australia), then the Christchurch mass mosque massacre which happened back in 2019 was one of the worst in New Zealand history related to terrorism, & the Utoya massacre that had taken place back in 2011, & finally the Dunblane mass shooting that occurred also way back in 1996 (Same year that Port Arthur was marred by one of the deadliest shootings in Australian history (And then there was Bondi Beach in Australia last year where there had been 15 casualties that had been caught in crossfire whose innocent lives had been taken away) that triggered firearm legislation reforms to be launched in most ways just like the one in Dunblane, & also in Christchurch) in which a crime has shook Britain that was 30 years ago where they commemorated the victims of that fatal mass gun attack on March this year), & injuring several while thousands of homes had to be demolished due to the damage to the buildings or land, including Lancaster Park were unable to host the men's Rugby World Cup games due to severe earthquake damage caused in both Christchurch & Lyttleton, in which the venue had to be closed then demolished, even though with One New Zealand Stadium (Originally Te Kaha as it is currently in its finishing touches phase) expected to open its doors in April as a replacement for the venue affected by the damage of the earthquake (And they have Hagley Oval as their main cricket ground in Christchurch), in which the memorial service is expected to be held to mark the events of 2011 at the Canterbury National Earthquake Memorial at the corner of Cambridge Terrace and Montreal Street in central Christchurch, where a minute's silence will be held at 12.51pm, the time the earthquake hit, then the names of the 185 people who died will be read aloud while the HMNZS Canterbury bell tolls (And I did have my moment of silence at 12:51pm to honour the victims lives had been lost on that fateful day back in 2011, a month before the tsunami & earthquake that struck Japan in the Tohoku region back in March in the same year that claimed 19,759 lives, & caused about 6,242 people who have been wounded).

And thirdly that the reason why that the country who started that dreadful war since 2022 (Four years after the country hosted the Football/Soccer men's World Cup back in 2018 for that was controversial along with the Qatar one, & the upcoming tournament in the US, Canada & Mexico (As well as the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles 2028) this year for which there will be a boycott of fans being asked for advice of not going to the United States due to that authoritarian regime set up by the US President, & their anti-immigration policy stance thinking that it's considered dangerous to travel just like the American officials had been pulled out of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics mainly due to political reasons (And there was in Moscow way back in 1980 at the Summer Olympics where countries from the Western Bloc pulled out citing fears of political tensions, 4 years before LA hosted the 1984 event as the Eastern Bloc withdrew due to reasons regarding to politics, especially during the Cold War (In which the country who started that dreadful invasion decided to refuse of showing the Olympics in Paris on TV the year before for the first time since Los Angeles 1984 especially), was that they're currently in sporting isolation just like the apartheid era South Africa who last competed in 1973 in cricket before that policy began as part of a racial segregation regime, such as the African nations pulling out of the Montreal Olympics in 1976 (The last time the host nation had failed to win a single gold), as well as the most controversial tour by a South African rugby team to New Zealand in 1981 as tour had been marred by protests which mass arrests have been made (And most of them sentenced for the crimes that they committed), & flour bombs being dropped during a game for what was the largest civil disturbance ever seen on New Zealand soil since the waterfront dispute in 1951, as for 56 days in July, August and September 1981, New Zealanders were divided against each other in the largest civil disturbance seen. As more than 150,000 people took part in over 200 demonstrations in 28 centres, and 1,500 were charged with offences stemming from these protests, & the cancellation of the planned 1985 tour (And there was a tour by the NZ Cavaliers who wore Wellington colours in 1986, & if one of the players returned home that they copped suspensions for both games, so that was the reason why that 'Kirky' of David Kirk chose not to go on that tour that motivated them behind the All Blacks who won the 1987 men's Rugby World Cup), even before they abolished apartheid when the late Nelson Mandela had been released behind bars in Robben Island way back in 1990, 4 years before being elected the president of South Africa also way back in 1994 (That was the year that the nation had won their first men's Rugby World Cup on home soil (Their first of 4 (They won it back in 2007 where New Zealand should've won that tournament which had not been for our controversial quarterfinal defeat to the hosts at the time of France, then also back in 2019 where we could've beaten England in the semi (And the AB's were missing Damian McKenzie who could've made the difference due to a serious injury inflicted during a Super Rugby game) & successfully defended it in 2023 (For that was controversial where a certain All Blacks (Who were down to 14 players after one of the AB's captains at the time, who was the first in history to be shown the red card in a men's Rugby World Cup final marred by controversy which was widely regarded as the strangest World Cup final ever) try, was ruled out by the TMO as a result of a knock-on in the scrum, could've won ourselves the World Cup), & is about to attempt of becoming the first side to win the men's RWC 3 consecutive times (No side has ever done it before in history) next year) along with the men's cricket team's triumph in the Knockout Trophy International Cup (Now Champions Trophy) way back in 1998, then the World Test Championship last year where they had sporting success for their country of South Africa along with the Springboks securing back to back Rugby Championship titles (As well as their unprecedented 6th to remain the best international rugby team on the planet when they finished their Northern tour against France, Italy, Ireland & Wales, undefeated that cemented their status as the early favourites of lifting the William Webb Ellis Cup 3 times in a row according to the previous stories on my blogs that I did) after previously winning the Southern Hemisphere competition 5 times way back in 1998, back in 2004, also way back in 2009 as well as back in 2019 & the year before) way back in 1995 all thanks to that winning field goal by Springbok first five Joel Stransky during extra time which united the country (Who had been readmitted to international sport since also way back in 1992), as well as their late leader of Mandela according to the previous stories that I did on my blogs).

And lastly that the upcoming Grand Theft Auto VI game (In which the plot features a Bonnie & Clyde inspired duo that turned their life of crime of Liberty City born former female prisoner Lucia Caminos, & her partner Jason Duval who is an ex-officer who once served in the military) due for release on November 19th this year, could even be cracked down because that ain't necessary according to the leader of that dreadful invasion since 2022 is not clearly a GTA fan, & the reason why that they want the game to be clamped down is due to immoral content that is concerning, as well as gigolos not being removed, & a desire to guard the youth, has all the signs of coordinated disinformation as well as over infringements, citing destructive values, & violence mainly due to Rockstar Games & parent company Take-Two Interactive prevented all available game sales in both the country who started that unlawful invasion (And they don't currently sell games since that brutal but deadly conflict began in 2022 (Just like Gran Turismo 7 (For which my fave PS5 game of all time approaches its 4th anniversary when it was released on March 4th, 2022 after several delays due to the difficulties surrounding the COVID pandemic (Originally going to come out in 2020, but changed to 2021, then again pushed it to the 4th of March a year later), regardless or so) for which it was removed from sale), as legislation makers are pushing to make the game outlawed prior to launch), & that country who supported the country that started it (And I might be a personal enemy by showing hostility towards that dreadful American leader along with that terrible American vice-leader along with all leaders of the Axis of Upheaval, including the leader who started that dreadful invasion since 2022 who is sort of like a tyrant just like the US president, as well as their Chinese, North Korean, & Iranian leaders, but I might be a follower of the Ukrainian president of Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, & the Canadian PM Mark Carney (Who is an economist & an ex-banker as he rose to become one of the most loved & decorated liberal politicians in the world during the modern era in the aftermath of him (Who rescued Canadian banks from collapsing during the heights of the global financial economic recession in 2008-09) took over from conservative Justin Trudeau in face of a Trump tariff uncertainty following his win/victory in the Canadian elections last year) because I love the 3 of them, but I like that Mexican leader of Claudia Sheinbaum who is a lady that literally hates the US President (Who is like a dictator just like that leader from a country started that dreadful invasion in terms of his leadership (Especially in the midst of the Epstein case (Who I have not mentioned in my blogs previously), that resulted in an arrest to the former royal known as His Royal Highness of Prince Andrew for his crimes related to the scandal associated with the late Jeffrey Epstein who took his own life whilst being in custody back in 2019 that is harming or damaging I should say, to their society) just like that late German leader during nationalist Germany times in the 1930's (For which the decade had been dogged by the Great Depression that started in 1929 when the whole economy thing had collapsed leaving several people found without a job, until it ended when World War II came along) & 40's (The decade began with the second world war that lasted until 1945 where it ended with the atomic bombs dropping on both Hiroshima & Nagasaki in Japan that turned into a post-apocalyptic world).

So that is my 682nd blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 34th of this year, viva Ukraine.

P.S. And one of the Highlanders rugby players of Angus Ta'avao had announced on social media that his son of Leo had recently passed away due to a genetic condition that affects on growth, but all thoughts, prayers & heartfelt condolences are with the Ta'avao whanau in this sad but tough time, RIP.