Lost in Smith Street

February 2011

2011-02-12T19:55:00.001+13:00

Is it just me or is this year racing by?

In the last 5 years I have seen so many marriages, births, significant birthdays and challenges that I am really starting to love what makes the 30's special. If the 10's is about exploring your local area the teens your fellow humans and your twenties the world. For me the 30's is about bringing all that back to the centre and home, kinda like you did the research and now you are living the findings.

I am also almost 3 months into my new job. It challenges Whirlwind for the most fun workplace where I am surrounded by creative, energetic people everyday. Below is the photo diary of Feb so far.

appropriate work attire?

South African themed - Beer and Braai party

Check out this you tube on the Braai rules hilarious.

Rangitoto from St Heliers Bay

Perfect gold gumboot weather

Duck at Cocoro Japanese restaurant - Amazing

and the lamb - only 2 of 9 courses - highly recomended

beautiful sunset view from my balcony

Can you tell I love flowers?

Splore

Fly my pretties, with Anna Coddington

Fun night full of colourful characters

The amazing Kellis

Spaceman rope contortionist

January 2011 "The year of happiness and dreams"

2011-02-12T18:57:00.000+13:00

Every year I give the 365 days a theme, last year was the year of love and this year a friend of mine inspired me so it is the year of happiness and dreams.

Below is my photo diary of happenings in January.

30th birthday boat cruise on Auckland Harbour

Disco queen


Lunchtime walks up Mt Eden

Free tickets to The National live at the Powerstation

Work trip to Christchurch - view of Canterbury

Ron Mueck - Realist sculpture exhibition

Day at the beach part one - flat tyre

Day at the beach part two - first beach swim of 2011

Day at the beach part three - homebound traffic

Wellington weekend

Cricket at Westpac Stadium

OK beer but weird name - Brains (Welsh)

Hells Pizza crazy $1 deal yummmmm

RIP the storm blown granny smith apple tree as old as me

Outrageous Fortune Exhibition


My favourite character - Pascal

January has been a blast.

Christmas & New years 2010/2011

2011-01-01T11:07:00.000+13:00

Food, Family and festivities in photos:

The door decorations keep expanding

Lifesize snowglobe in the park

Frosty the snowman

The big kid

Wheelbarrow of food at Carinthia restaurant mmmmmm!

Beautiful steak at Mudbrick on Waiheke

Toni's hens night

Christmas at the Smith's with mandatory cracker hat

NYE dinner at Midnight Express

Sweaty New year party girl

and in case you are wondering, yes I only have one party frock for the whole season.

Happy New Year and hope its a great one for everyone.
T xx

Elf Yourself by Officemax

2010-12-22T21:59:00.000+13:00

My sister sent me these hilarious skits of my family doing disco and hip hop. Well worth a play.

The Hip Hop version

The Disco version

now if only I had all these moves in real life.

My little sis turns the big 30

2010-12-13T22:19:00.000+13:00

Last post for the night. A little one to say how proud I am of my little sister for all she has achieved in the last 30 years and with such style and enthusiasm. Plus she doesn't look a day older than her 21st another blast of a party.

Hope our next 30 together are just as much fun - love you xxxx

Natural beauty and Swashbuklers

2010-12-13T22:10:00.000+13:00

I was lucky enough to be invited along to the authentic beauty tour of the 100% Natural Living Nature brand and it was really inspiring. Not only because of the amazing products they produce and the benefits of plants from our very own back door. But also because we had the chance to listen to two inspiring Kiwi women, Lorraine Downes and Petra Bagust, both who are wonderful examples of beauty inside and out. Anyone stuck for Christmas presents should consider these products as they are really really good. My favourite is the refreshing body lotion it glides on so nicely, smells good enough to eat and makes your skin glow.

Check out their website as they really are producing some amazing products with these super ingredients:
Harakeke, Kelp, Kumerahou, Manuka Honey, Manuka Oil, Totarol, Halloysite Clay, Calendula

After this we went for dinner at a restaurant I have driven past atleast 1,000 times and always been curious but never been in and I have to say it's a must. Swashbucklers has it all a crazy theme and decor, fantastic service, massive food and seafood seafood seafood for those lovers as well as a stunning outlook over the harbour and all at a good price.

Te Rau Rainbows

2010-12-13T21:49:00.001+13:00

I went for a drive to Te Rau and on the way we saw the most spectacular rainbow of which no photo can do justice as it was massive, perfect in arc, Featured a second one above, had the most vibrant light and featured every colour of the spectrum. There were more cars than just us pulled over to wonder at its magnificence.

Whilst there I saw more lady birds than I think I have ever seen and tried a lemonade fruit for the first time and man are they yum. I am sure the rainbow and the lady bird were signaling a change in my luck.

Then we headed back to town to celebrate the end of Movember at the official Gala party. My Mo Bro raised a fab $365 for his efforts. There were some very funny outfits and crazy personalities on the night both over shadowing the actual Mo's. I dressed up as a hawaiian gal which was fun to get into the spirit.

My favourite Mo of the night was definitely the Leprechaun as he even went through the pain of bleaching it before he dyed it green - that's what I call commitment to your outfit. Colonel Sanders was pretty funny as well.

Then to round out the weekend of Charity on Sunday I went to the Santa Parade to help collect donations for the Leukemia and Blood Foundation. It was the most amazing sunny day and my duo ended up raising $200 so not too bad an effort. This year saw alot of really wonderful balloons.

Thanksgiving in NZ

2010-12-13T21:14:00.000+13:00

So while traveling around the USA I noticed alot of pumpkins and advertising for Thanksgiving so I decided to buy the main ingredient for their famous pumpkin pie and bring it back home to make my own to serve on the day.

Now of course we don't celebrate this in NZ but I made a variation of it and made my guests say what they were grateful for while we had Turkey and pie. It was very heart warming and the pie was really really good - I could see myself making this a tradition.

Harry Potter 7

2010-12-13T21:07:00.000+13:00

I was one of the people swept up in the Harry Potter Book craze and loved every bit (well except for the tent part) but I have to say that every movie rendition albeit they keep improving never quite get there. I figure because they almost need to be redone with adults as the target audience. In reality they are pretty gruesome stories and way too scary for kids. This was a good flick though with beautiful cinematography and I love Helena Bonham Carter in it.

Fun filled summer

2010-12-13T20:56:00.000+13:00

So even though the weather decided to turn stormy we made the most of it. We started with a divine dinner at Rocco including their amazing churros. Then went along the following day to the second Auckland Taste Festival and it was fantastic. We noticed alot of these three ingredients duck, beetroot and goats cheese. Our favourite meals were:

Dish 1 - Dine by Peter Gordon - Pan-seared scallops with pickled leeks, Clevedon buffalo mozzarella, chorizo caramel and heilala vanilla dressing.

Dish 3 - Euro - Veal rump with parsnip puree roasted fennel, zucchini & orange jus.

Dish 3 - Harbourside - Rose pannacotta, strawberry & pistachio salad, orange blossom dressing.

There were many other delightful tastings as well at Bracu, Prego, Toto, Clooney and Mudbrick.

Then it was off to see the fabulous Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Civic theatre. The crowd were so much fun with several hairy men dressed in fishnets and heels. I have not been to a play/sing along show before and I have to say it was alot of fun doing the time warp with a massive crowd. We were also lucky enough to be sitting next to George Henare a well respected thespian in NZ. If that was not enough we also had the creator Richard O'Brien as narrator so it was a very special show.

We then went for a much needed bite at Tanuki's cave a must stop for locals and visitors alike.

The following day we headed out for a big breakfast/lunch at Verona's on our way we witnessed some falling angels very dramatic and luckily no cars beneath as they fell to earth.

Then I had to say farewell to Regan after an amazing weekend of fun.

Back to the workforce

2010-12-13T20:13:00.000+13:00

There is a reason I have not been online very often for the last month and that is that I landed an amazing job with an advertising agency called Raydar and as with any settling in period I have been on a steep learning curve and dropping dead every night but the month is over now so I am slowly getting into a rhythm and as such am back to blogging.

I also think that it is rather fitting that it starts with the letter R as the final link in the circle of my previous blog "The R Word"

November 14 - 20
Art and Anarchy Tour
This was an inspiring tour of my local area and the history of some of the public art and architecture. I have always loved the Vegas billboard and the very amazing new Iron bank but new discoveries of the Maori Hall and stained glass entrance to Mercury were lovely surprises. Along with finding out the Moses in my park below my window is a full size replica of the same marble as the original Michelangelo.

I was lucky enough to attend the launch of next years Auckland arts festival 2011 programme. It was a wonderful event showcasing the arts to come and with one of the best inspiring speeches I have heard in ages and made by our very own super city mayor Len Brown - he even sang to us and it made me feel happy that I had voted for the right person.

Then I went along to see Joyce Campbells latest exhibition at Two rooms a most magical photographic series of the spirit of New Zealand.

My wonderful friend Regan came over from Melbourne for a visit and gave me the most beautiful cushion handmade by her. It also gave me an excuse to put up the Christmas decorations early, jiggle around to the carols and burn the festive spices.

The Social Network

2010-11-16T20:46:00.000+13:00

On the weekend I went to see the movie depicting the beginnings of the phenomenon that is Facebook called The Social Network and like the doco "Exit through the gift shop" a few weeks earlier it was kinda horrifying as it reinforced that this generation, people seem OK with burning everyone around them for singular success and fame. I think I am turning into a hippy as I really would rather be broke than hurt a friend to make a penny. Worth a look though on the eve of Facebook launching their email competitor to Hotmail, Yahoo and Gmail. Also does have a great soundtrack and was extremely well cast - big ups for Justin taking on the devil role, much as I try it is hard to not taint the real person with the Characters they portray.

Tea of the month

2010-11-16T20:36:00.000+13:00

On my wonderful holiday in the USA I spent a day at Disneyland and whilst there I purchased a fun tin of tea called Wonderland "Mad tea party blend" . It really is one of the nicest blends I have ever come across, with a light blend of floral's over an Indian black tea base. Now if only there was a Disney store in New Zealand so I could get some for my friends for Christmas.

Yay for flowers

2010-11-11T13:49:00.000+13:00

I had a most unexpected, but very welcomed surprise arrive last night in the form of some pretty indigo flowers. I don't know about you but I rarely receive them, but they are one of my favourite presents so always sure to put a smile on my face.

Chocolate Shortage = Tragedy

2010-11-10T18:10:00.000+13:00

read this

Chocolate: Worth its weight in gold?

I am now soooooo buying fair trade chocolate to maybe keep it coming as the thought of a drought is unbearable.

Woman to admire

2010-11-10T10:21:00.000+13:00

I have just finished reading Theresa Gattungs book "Bird on a wire" and have to say it has been an eye opener on so many topics that to save words I am going to cheat and list them below:
• How strong the media's influence is on the public in NZ (and how often uninformed and skewed)
• How wrong we are to try and fracture big businesses
• How we need education on what makes this country survive and get behind those industries as a country even though they may be manned by the smallest population
• That I never want to be a CEO
• That the government both National and Labour make some major mistakes at times to win favour in what really is too short an election time-frame for any good legislation to see its true long-term goals come into effect
I would highly recommend this book as it covers many an interest from business, management, being a woman, promoting NZ, and so on.

Eat Pray Love and crash

2010-11-09T09:46:00.002+13:00

I finally went along to see the movie rendition of a book I really enjoyed Eat Pray Love. I have to say there are actresses that are for men and ones who are for woman and Julia Roberts is definitely the latter.

I was very critical of the casting of her in this role but she was marvelous and captured the true spirit of the three phases the author went through so well. The soundtrack is also really good for lazy afternoons.

However in my rosy glow walking home I had the weirdest thing happen to me — I was run over by a bicycle - never thought that could happen — but it did and boy was it painful so I am now sporting a massive bruise on my butt and thigh and just when my legs had finally recovered form the 1/2 marathon :P

Sculpture on shore

2010-11-07T19:29:00.000+13:00

Dad and I went along to the Sculpture on Shore exhibition today. To help support the Women's refuge and to get some inspiration. Turned out to be a mammoth amount of artwork ranging in materials, scale and subject although did notice two predominant themes of war and nature.

Most moving artist for me was Sean Crawford with two works one entitled "Ewe Me and the Bomb" and the other as pictured below "Dominion - Redux" which you could see was about our greatest export in the literal being sacrificed but on closer look it was made up of poppies so on researching the work I found their was a double meaning of the sacrifice of the men who fought in Gallipoli. A definite thinking man type artist and one to watch in my opinion.

Sean Crawford - Dominion - Redux

A couple of other favourites

Gregor Kregar - Twisting the Void 1, 2009

Cat Auburn - Stealing the luck of George Stubbs, 2010

Saskia Baetens-Van Gils - Rabbit Ascending Staircase, 2010

Windy Weekend

2010-11-07T13:12:00.001+13:00

Is it just me or are beautiful blue skies just not quite as nice when they are accompanied by southerly winds?

Anyway been keeping busy with the job hunt and if nothing else am getting to know the lay of the land in terms of Marketing, Advertising and Studio's out there.

Friday tried to help raise awareness for the plight of the Whales and also had my first AK Samba experience having a go at the bells, which was alot of fun and much harder than it looks. Loved the body painted people as pretty brave in the cold wind.

Saturday went to the Auckland Cultural festival which was great fun watching the parade of so many different cultures and then trying lots of yummy new foods. The parade commentator was very naughty asking things like the pretty Thai girls to come closer so he could make a proper assessment and telling his colleague to lay off the sausages as his gut was already too big.

Change the present, change a future - Oxfam

2010-11-03T09:43:00.000+13:00

At university I did my main written assignment on charities and at the time found that a few really aligned with my values. Some that really were making some positive changes in the world. One of them was Amnesty International and the other was Oxfam. I think Oxfam's fun campaign of making you able to choose your donation like a shopping experience is very original and smart and I love choosing between donkeys and ducks at Christmas as my support to them.

If you have not seen their Oxfam Unwrapped campaign check it out here.

First strawberries for summer

2010-11-02T18:15:00.000+13:00

I managed to fill a bowl with strawberries from my balcony garden today. Can't wait to have them for dessert tonight. There really is no substitute for the joy of eating something you grew yourself.

My first half marathon

2010-11-02T11:28:00.000+13:00

Last year I tried out my first 1/4 marathon so this year I decided to up the anti and give the 1/2 a go and I did start out training but with a trip overseas and a bout of bronchitis my last 6 weeks were a little low on it. None the less I made it to the finish and was really happy with my time as I improved on my rate from last year. It was also an amazing thing to get to run over the harbour bridge.

Hopefully next year though Adidas picks a slightly more boring colour as the high vis yellow was kinda yuk.

Only downer is hobbling round like a grandma so stiff and sore for the next two days.

I also managed to drag myself out for the always fun Diwali festival as the dance shows are always amazing, the food good and fed my obsession for firework shows.

Also really love the gates they have installed in the Aotea square.

Red and Lee Child

2010-11-02T11:05:00.000+13:00

So in an attempt more for myself than anything to keep a record of what I read here is the latest book.

I just finished my second Lee Child book and even though it was totally out of order I still really enjoyed it I think he will be my choice for summer lazy days. This one was kidnapping and militia cults so quite exciting and weird.

I also saw the movie Red with the most amazing cast featuring some fav's of mine Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman. A shout out to Bruce also as he looks amazing for a guy in his 50's. The scene where he hops out of the car and shoots at Karl Urban's character is simply amazing choreography.

Sandspit and Casablanca

2010-10-26T14:43:00.001+13:00

We started by packing early on Thursday night and then after having a lovely dinner at another local Japanese place to my house called Shochiku which adds to the list of Renkon, Kens Yakitori and one I can't remember the name of on corner of Queen Street and City Road.

We set off at noon on Friday and were in Sandspit not long after to setup camp and basque in the sunshine. It was a nice spot with lovely views of the harbour and really neat retro styled decor to all the amenities. Night one went OK a bit cold but luckily I had packed the hot water bottle and the beautiful sounds of the moreporks more than made up for it.

Day two we just relaxed in the sun read our books, went shell hunting, for a bush walk and generally relaxed. Love the crazy rocks in the area and now can tell the difference between, Bubble, Cockle, Muscle, Scallop, Turret, Biscuit, Tulip, Ostrich Foot and Oyster shells.

Sunday more sun bathing and book reading before heading into Matakana's Ascention winery to listen to some music and watch Casablanca under the stars alot of fun - especially some of the remarks yelled from some very inebriated audience members.

Monday we went to Charlies gelato garden and had the sweetest strawberries I have had in years and seriously the best blueberry gelato in the world. Then we went for a drive to Snells beach, Algies Bay and Scotts Landing all stunning on a bright sunny day before heading home.

Macarons the new Cupcake?

2010-10-26T09:15:00.002+13:00

Is it just me or does it seem like the craze for cupcakes is nearing the end and a new craze for macarons has started. I keep seeing them pop up in magazines, cafes and all the food blogs I read. Now I feel like one. Might have to hunt down a recipe for a Christmas one as only 9 weeks to go.

Oh Joy Eats

Photo courtesy of Oh Joy Eats - my fav food blog

Walk for Survival - 14th November 2010

2010-10-21T16:51:00.000+13:00

If anyone would like to take part or donate to this worthy cause of helping the Melanoma Foundation please see the details on the attached poster. My dad is the organiser and would love any support he can get.

Birkenhead Rotary

A sticky situation

2010-10-19T09:07:00.000+13:00

Grrrrr!!! just noticed that my favourite dress has chewing gum stuck to the bottom from my visit to the movies on the weekend and no matter how much plucking, freezing or boiling I do it is not coming off so begins the very slow removal process.

If only people were more thoughtful, as it is always funny till the joke is on you - karma do your thing.

30 mins and alot of electrical tape

A weekend of fun

2010-10-18T09:09:00.000+13:00

Went out to a new bar in Britomart called 1885 for a few drinks and friends catchup. Was a nice venue with a great cover band.

It's funny though how quickly you forget how easy it is to get a hangover when you have not been drinking for ages and then suddenly start again. I thank Sals greasy pizza for atleast softening the blow.

What better way to burn/sweat off said hangover than with a walk up Rangitoto. I love this walk as it is just far enough to feel like a workout but not so bad you feel like collapsing and the reward of the stunning views is a must.

After the walk we decided it was such a nice day that a cold beer seemed in order so we headed off to Brew on Quay to sample some new ones. My favourite was Eidelweiss snowfresh, I am really enjoying wheat beers and pilsners this year.

Then I headed up to Ponsonby to check out the Art in the Dark installation in Western Park which really made it feel like Christmas for me with all the lights in the trees.

Sunday was a warm but rainy day so we decided to hide out in the cinemas. We started with Exit through the gift shop. This movie really got under my skin as it was such a blatant example of how easily someone can pervert/profit off a subculture and really miss the point of said culture in the first place. I felt really sorry for the guys who had opened their worlds to this guy and been totally used. Definitely worth a look to remind you of the dark side of art capitalism. It also made me respect Banksy even more than I already did.

Then we went to see The last airbender in 3D. I am addicted to 3D but boy do my eyes hurt by the end of the two hours. I have seen this movie twice now (first time on my flight to LA) and I really love it. The choreography is really fluid and beautiful, the music is soul soaring and the visuals are stunning. This all wrapped up in a story with some nice messages about living harmoniously, dealing with your emotions and not giving up makes for a nice feel good movie.

New Music

2010-10-14T12:19:00.000+13:00

I seem to be going through a soppy inspirational phase and my music is reflecting this with one of my favourite songs at the moment being from Miley Cyrus - When I look at you and Metisse's boom boom ba. I blame it on the weather getting warmer and the shops starting to put the Christmas stuff in.

I also just got two new albums both very different.

Eminem's new album recovery. Which still has his rhyming and magical melodies that I love and his interview on 60 minutes was very interesting as I think all of us have a crisis of motivation, self or worse in our thirties so nice to hear another coming through and better than ever. Favourite songs so far are going through changes and 25 to life as well as the single not afraid.

Brookes Faser's latest album Flags which doesn't feel as tidy as her previous two albums jumping from reggae to folk to country and back to pop but she has a beautiful voice and as always poetic lyrics so you get over this. Best enjoyed with a jasmine tea a good book and a bit of sunshine. Favourite songs Sailboats and Here's to you.

September Books

2010-10-12T13:23:00.000+13:00

All that glitters - Denise L'Estrange Corbet
I loved this book for so many reasons. The first that she is a woman who chanced on something she loved and through hard work and lots of passion succeeded in doing it. Two because she never backed down to a bully. Three because she was so open about talking about the downs just as much as the ups, which was helpful in demystifying depression something so many New Zealander's suffer from.

Dear Fatty - Dawn French
I just wanted to pop round to her house for a cup of tea and cake after reading this book. She writes with so much heart and humour you can't help but love her by the last page (assuming you didn't already). It also gives a glimpse into Jennifer Saunders life another woman to truely admire and I really liked how she is happy with herself warts and all. It made me laugh, cry and feel inspired a great read.

The enemy - Lee Child
This was my first crime novel in ages and I had forgotten how much I love them as I think everyone has a genre that they call their light books the ones you read in between the bigs ones and the ones that you know the formula and love it. Most girls I think go for Romance/Chick Lit but for me it is definitely Crime. I grew up engrossed in Elizabeth George, Patricia Cornwell and John Grisham. This author is pretty popular and I can see why a good mix of good characters, great plot and enough twists to keep the pages turning. As it was my first of his I now have a mega 14 left to read, ironically starting dead in the middle at book 8 - hmm to go backwards or forwards.

The Truth about Diamond - Nicole Richie
I note that the cover and the intro emphasize again and again that this is a novel not an autobiography but you could have had me fooled as she uses real stars names and it rings very similar to her actual life so I am taking it as one. I found it an interesting one to read just after a trip in the USA as it gave me some insight into the behind the scenes happenings in LA and Malibu as when there and driving by the glitz and appeal is often hard to imagine. Not a booker prize novel but good for an hour or two.

Te Aroha - mist and mayhem

2010-10-12T10:26:00.000+13:00

This weekend I headed out of town to the very pretty little town of Te Aroha in the heartland of the North Island. Every garden was full of flowers and the day was blue skies and sunny so we were all ready for the hike. Little did I know this hike would mean 2 and 1/2 hours directly up a steep hill into icy mist and wind but felt that amazing sense of achievement you do when you push yourself beyond what you thought were your limits. Then it was another 3 hours back down, we think around 12kms in total. I did manage to slip on my butt twice - someone had to and one poor gal twisted her ankle but in general everyone was only a little achy in joints and muscles. We also stayed at the most awesomely condiment packed motel and ate at the most yummy restaurant.

The next day brought with it a well needed soak in the local therapeutic mineral hot pools and a lovely scenic coastal drive back to Auckland.

We hiked from the bottom to where the tower is

The mist made the forest look kinda mystical and spooky

Beautiful Kowhai tree in bloom

I am loving the amazing colour of the grass in spring

If life hands you lemons make a gin and tonic

2010-10-06T16:21:00.000+13:00

I did my usual fortnightly online shopping order today only it was not to be like any other as a glich in the system happened so I was delivered 4x whatever quantity I ordered so I now have 4 kilos of lemons, 8 toothpaste tubes, 8 loaves of bread, 8 tubes of tomato paste - just to name a few they apparently couldn't reverse the issue so I had the fun task of paying a fortune and trying very hard to squeeze it all in a very small space.

If anyone has any ideas for how to use up alot of lemons I am all ears.

Last day - so begins the two days of flights home

2010-09-27T01:00:00.000+13:00

We worked out that in the 19 days here we managed to clock up a massive 5,000 plus kms.
Visit 5 states. Stay in 9 hotels and 11 different beds in 11 cities.
Eat at 9 different fast food chains.
Averaged 5 hours sleep a night.
Had my picture with Elvis, Johnny, a cheer leader, a policeman and Mickey Mouse to name a few.
Hob Knobbed with African, Indian, Mexican, Caucasian and Green Alien Americans.
Got a farmers tan.
Saw Mountains, Lakes, Forests, Deserts, Oceans, Beaches and Cities.

And generally had an amazing time - I am hugely indebted to my friend Elisa for making this trip possible and to Noemi and her folks for their hospitality also in LA. I am a very lucky gal and sad to be getting on the plane but at the same time happy to get back and tell the tales to everyone back home.

Dallas day 1 and 2

2010-09-26T17:55:00.000+13:00

This city was easy to navigate with a well informed local to guide me around so I was able to see all the different suburbs and their characters, ranging from the mammoth desperate housewife show type manicured mansions to the more scary ghetto like poor areas.

We had lunch at a local favourite where I had my first root beer float - kinda nice kinda strange flavour.

We then went for a tram ride round the main spots - ironically the tram was named Matilda and originally from Melbourne. Then looked around downtown to see where JFK was shot and the memorials for him.

Dinner was at a Texas Steakhouse and I have to admit it rivals some of NZ's best.

Lastly we went to a local sports bar to hang with Elisa's Brother and friends whilst playing Shuffle board - yet another sport I am not good at, but lots of fun none the less.

The following day we chilled and went for a wander around the shops like Wallmart, Macy's, Target and so on - as always I am amazed at the huge size of everything and the vast selection of brands they have here.

We were both feeling a bit yuk after so much travel so decided to get a makeover at the clinique counter by a funky makeup artist called Betty Page. Felt so much the better for it after.

I also got to sample some local treats like, Pecan pie, Pumpkin pie and smorgs all very sweet but nice.

Observations:
• It got to 90% humidity today and rain - go the frizzy hair
• Love all the "Don't mess with Texas" signs
• Finally found the story behind the lonestar state
• There is a whole lots of grass here
• Halloween has taken over the stores
• They don't have to wear helmets when riding motorcycles but they do on pushbikes
• Beer and wine have different rules to all other liquors
• Pink flamingo garden figures are everywhere

Ye ha Texas and Cowboys here I come (590kms)

2010-09-26T04:34:00.000+13:00

Today we hit the road for our last big drive from Lubbock to Dallas, home of my amazing friend Elisa, the person who has done all the tiring driving for us these past 3 weeks.

On the way we stopped in Abilene and like Lubbock they are just boring towns so we didn't hang around long.

Then we hit Fort worth which was great as they had incredible water parks, fab shops and awesome architecture. It was an amazingly hot day with really high humidity so we decided the only way to battle that was to go to the local pub and cool off with a beer. We tried a Texas tasting plate of 5 beers but didn't like any so I ordered my new favourite Sierra Nevada Kellerweis mmmmm. From our rooftop table we were also able to watch a house for habitat being built in the square below.

Then we went to cowboy land at the Stockyards and had dinner at the famous Joe T Garcia's Mexican Restaurant where it is so popular they had to keep expanding and it now seats 1800 people. I can also happily say after tasting CalMex, New Mexico Mex and TexMex that the Texas one wins hand down.

Observations:
• Dallas has around 3,000 churches so averages 1 church per 3-400 people
• I have tried fried okra and am not a fan
• Have seen cottonfields for the first time and they are really pretty
• Oil drills are everywhere
• Cowboy boots are awesome but expensive
• Texans don't mind wearing/displaying their flags, state shape and symbols all the time
• I have finally gotten sick - inevitable with midnight beds, 7am wake ups and full on days
• Hit the bible belt and there are alot of messages around some witty some bad
• Texans are the nicest people I have met so far, and love telling you all the special things about their state
• They love their guns and Knives here

Roswell, New Mexico to Lubbock Texas (605kms)

2010-09-23T12:34:00.000+12:00

We hit the extraterrestrial town of Roswell today which was fun with Alien images everywhere even the street lamps and the info on the crop circle phenomena was really interesting. I had to come here after loving pop culture and anything with a mythical twist to it. It also housed a fabulous art gallery so that was a definite bonus.

Observations:
• There were lots of amazing signs made from silhouette designs in metal
• Back in Oil drilling country like we saw in California
• So many abandoned houses and ghost towns
• Hit the plains which a sooooooo flat
• Loads of pretty sunflowers all along the highway
• Apparently largest wool producing area but didn't see a single sheep - weird
• Like the artists Larry Bob Phillips and Yoshiko Kanai

Albuquerque and Santa Fe New Mexico

2010-09-22T16:53:00.000+12:00

We spent the day in the charming town of Santa Fe exploring the old town area with all the terracotta coloured adobe buildings. It was jam packed with sculptures and art galleries so we got our fix of culture which was great. I also got a taste of the mexican culture and the Native American culture. I could have bought everything I saw (disclaimer - if I was rich) as the jewellery, art and crafts were all amazing. Three artists I particularly fell in love with were Frank Howell, Fabio Napoleoni and Gustave Baumann.

We also were able to see a show on cowboy boots which was great to see the craft behind it and some fab art versions, like Anne Noggles, plus some stories of the people who love them.

They love their chilies so you see them hanging up to dry everywhere and the food is HOT HOT HOT!

We also kinda got to see Georgia O'Keefes work as we saw a few in the General museum as her named one was closed.

We then went back to Albuquerque to explore their old town also interesting and then for more mexican food for dinner - note to self always eat half what they serve as it is almost impossible not to over eat mexican as it is sooooooo good.

Flagstaff, Sedona and Albuquerque (613 kms)

2010-09-21T17:33:00.000+12:00

Today we started with a driving tour of Flagstaff a hip student town with an outdoorsy mountain cabinesque feel to it.

Then we headed down the highway to Sedona which was a great surprise as the terra cotta red rocks emerged and the matching red town appeared. It was a stunning place with loads of great sculptures including some funny cactus pots pictured below. I also like the water sprays that they do to cool you off as you walk around. This is also Navajo country so was able to see lots of their amazing crafts like Kachina dolls and Turquoise jewellery.

Then we travelled down the highway further to cross into state number four, New Mexico and arrive at Albuquerque where we encountered clouds for the first time in two weeks and some pretty scary some would say impressive lightning.

• Fell in love with the sculptor Lan Spurgers work

• Finally learnt the story behind the Kokopelli figure seen everywhere in the Southwest region

• Noticed even more pieces of tyres along the roadside - apparently they patch the trucks to save buying new ones but it is not very effective

• Finally figured out that only beef makes a burger all other items are sandwiches regardless of the bread, bun, pita etc... that the filling is in
• Am in love with the 99c 1 litre iced teas from McDonalds
• Was able to try something made from the prickly pear - tasted much like strawberry

• Came across a chain of gas stations called Loves - weird

Grand Canyon (275kms)

2010-09-20T17:20:00.000+12:00

Wow wee the rumors are true the Grand Canyon really is one of the natural wonders of the world. We arrived early and went for a bike around the rim a walk down one of the pathways and generally wandered around and ogled at all the amazing views. I am fascinated by all the amazing shadows cast.

Observations:
• So many visitors from France, Germany and Japan
• The bark of the ponderosa tree smells like butterscotch
• They eat a cactus called a prickly pear - OUCH!
• Burn offs and skunks combined make for a very smelly forrest
• Now I know the cute squirrels have rabies they don't seem so cute anymore
• One lady thinks it is appropriate to pluck her chin on the ledge ewww
• Elks are huge
• Karma's Chocolate volcano dessert in Flagstaff is incredible
• Sunsets over the canyon are pink, pink, pink
• It's hard not to take a gazillion photos
• Some people are crazy and go out on ledges they so shouldn't

Vegas to Grand Canyon (580kms)

2010-09-19T17:13:00.000+12:00

Breakfast by the pool - Oh the life(I had to even out the white people ratio as so many bronzed people around). Then we hit the road in super hot hot hot heat. First stop was the Hoover Dam which was stunning and a great human achievement. Then we drove through some great dessert landscapes till we hit Grand Canyon country with the cute little towns like Williams, Valle (complete with a Flintstone's amusement caravan park) and Tusayan. We arrived at night so went to see the imax movie of the Grand Canyon which was a good way to set the scene for tomorrows adventures. It did make you nauseous at points.

I am also now in state number three Arizona after leaving both California and Nevada behind and driving on historical route 66.

Vegas day 2

2010-09-19T16:44:00.001+12:00

Today we spent the morning lying in 40c sun by the pool which was so nice to have the breather after so much power travelling.

Then we hit the town for some vegas nightlife. So no photos really as no space in the party frock for a camera.

We went to Vegas the show which was a fabulous variety show that took you down memory lane of the strip and included elvis, elton and Liberace to name a few. It had a sad ending as they showed film footage of all the old casinos as they were demolished to make way for the mega resorts.

Then we hit the clubs where being a woman in this town is a distinct advantage as it is nothing but sexist in Vegas with free drinks and entry for ladies and often entrance before the boys. I felt super intimidated by the ladies though as most were super hot, in really skimpy cocktail dresses and sky high heels.

Observations:
• Good place to be female and also great for singles
• You get a free comedy show on the deuce strip buses from the hilarious drivers
• You can stretch any car into a limo/party bus
• The city of superlatives - Massive, Mega, Vulgur, Loud, Bright and so on
• The clubs love their appearance of exclusivity
• The Bellagio does amazing things with choreographed fountains - especialy love the piece to "All that Jazz"
• Cougars are out in force with their handbag boyfriends
• You can order a single dessert and be delivered a buffet (see pic)

Vegas baby

2010-09-18T05:51:00.000+12:00

After a bit of a sleep in as we were both tired after a long drive and late night we headed downtown to the Fremont street area of Vegas as the living example of how it used to be before the mega resorts moved in. The heat was incredible so hot, hard to believe it is Autumn(Fall). This area was fun with lots of quirky pawn shops and a great little artist community and some great old signs and casinos - we had a free drink that almost blew our tongues out - we are on to how they hook you in, so only drank a sip.
Then we headed back towards the strip to see the famous lights which were awesome we took in a show at the MGM Grand called Ka which was a Cirque du Soleil production and it was amazing with a purpose built stage the engineering of the sets was mindblowing let alone the music, costumes and acts. We then went for walk to see the sights and caught two free shows of a volcano exploding at the Mirage and a pirate dance show at Treasure Island.
Observations:
• To get into clubs you need to be super hot and wear very little clothes
• There is alot of clicking sounds as you walk along from all the stripper card distributors
• Drinking on the street from weird vessels is normal
• There are alot of different ways to dress ladies to attract punters
• If you want anything personalised this is the town including M&Ms
• Tattoo parlours are everywhere
• Restaurants are based on themes not good food
• You can have your picture taken with almost anyone or thing for a price
• Wear comfy shoes as you will walk ALOT

How to drive in a straight line for 9 hours (730kms)

2010-09-18T05:36:00.001+12:00

Today we did a massive drive all the way from Reno to Las Vegas along the almost straight highway 95 with only dessert and the Sierra Nevadas to look at it was a long drive but we finally made it to Vegas by night and it made it worth the effort as it was everything we had expected and we started by going up the stratosphere to see some amazing views and then the monorail to take the easy views of the strip. We chose to stay at the Sahara as it is one of the few remaining old school themed casino hotels and it is great with all the sultans and camels within. Plus it has a nascar cafe, museum and ride for the car enthusiasts.

Reno and our first night out

2010-09-18T05:28:00.000+12:00

We arrived into Reno at night and headed straight to the hotel "Silver Legacy" which was suitably glitzy. The room was nice but smelled of smoke as it seems smoking goes hand in hand with gambling. We put on our party frocks and hit the gaming rooms and clubs donating $2 to the pokie charity and dancing away in the club with a bikini contest thrown in for added kitsch.
Observations:
• First sign of the effect of gambling with strange street people
• Fake boobs everywhere
• Two crazy 80 year olds shaking their booties
• Slot machines that talk or sing

The day of vista's (432kms)

2010-09-15T17:02:00.000+12:00

Today we did a massive drive from Oakhurst in California to Reno in Nevada. It was a day of amazing sunshine, incredible views, windy roads and roadworks. Lake Tahoe is massive and would be fun in ski season we went for another nice walk here. We are now in Reno and about to hit the bars and casinos - should be fun - wish me luck.

Observations:
• There are alot of wooden carved bears everywhere
• A Viking Castle is alot smaller than other cultures ones
• New name for scary narrow roads "Snarrows"
• Snapple iced tea is yum
• Always pack lots of snacks as you never know when road blocks will turn a 4 hour trip into a 7 hour one
• Don't squeeze new moisturiser bottles in high altitudes - they explode
• California has the most diverse landscapes - from green to brown and sand to rock
• In and out burgers are great but fried chips are never good
• I love that you can get iced tea at fast food places and not sweetened
• Saw a forrest fire - hope everyone is OK

Yosemite National Park (150kms)

2010-09-14T17:19:00.000+12:00

Today we went into the mountains for some awe inspiring views. We started with a tour around the Sequoia trees in mariposa grove. They are the tallest trees in the world and some of the oldest. They were fantastic with huge circumferences and souring heights into the heavens. We also spotted deer, foxes and squirrels in the trees.

Then we drove to the heart of Yosemite National park where we looked at the Ansel Adams gallery and then did a very steep 3km hike up the hills for even more amazing views. The altitude made it very hard to breath at the top but worth it.

This place should be on everyone's bucket list as it was incredible and I want to return so that I can spend more time here and do more of the walks - spring next time.

Seaside to Mountains (320 kms)

2010-09-13T17:10:00.002+12:00

We had an amazing day today starting at the seaside in cute towns like Marina, Monterey and Pacific Grove.
What we saw:
• Seals groaning and lazying around
• Lots and lots of bird shit
• Heaps of eucalyptus trees and even a pohutukawa
• Some tasty clam chowder
• lots of tempting sweets and salt water taffy
• An italian fiesta
• A baseball game
• Some brave surfers in the cold water
• Lots of jelly fish
• Wood carvings of fishermen and bears

Then we hit the highways and started our drive towards Yosemite. We made one stop on the way to a great little find Casa de Fruta with amazing pomegranite wines, fresh fruits, dried fruits and so many other treats all in lovely surrounds and the most warm air and blue skies.

The remaining drive saw some amazing landscapes and agriculture, finished with a stunning sunset and arrival in the cute mountain town where even though night the air was still really warm. Another incredible day in the sunny California.

Road trip day one (570 kms)

2010-09-12T16:45:00.002+12:00

We hit highway 101 today all along the Pacific coastline of California on up to our final destination of Salinas and the Monterey Coast. It was such a fantastic drive and the landscape changed dramatically at times but it was a long way so we are both tired and ready to drop.

Along the way we saw:
• Heaps of Harley Davidsons
• Several very flash houses in Malibu
• An awful lot of flags in memory of September 11
• Several Winnebagos
• Some fog
• Lots of blue sky
• A weird car with six wheels
• Lots of amazing hills
• A few oil drills
• A street called Santa Claus
It was a great drive with the highlight of ending in a gorgeous seaside town called Carmel which every shop and restaurant had a different European inspired look and lots of amazing trees and flowers.

Give me a "T"

2010-09-11T18:20:00.000+12:00

Today we had a fantastic time touring around Beverly Hills, Hollywood and Downtown LA. I tried Reeses peanut butter cups, real mexican and pinkberry until my tummy is near exploding. Highlight was the two high school cheerleaders in the ice cream parlour and learning what the dirty snoop doggy dogs hand signal meant woops.

My day with Johnny

2010-09-11T14:00:00.001+12:00

So my first on screen love was and still is Johnny Depp. So as you can imagine I was not going to pass up the chance to spend the day with his shadows in Hollywood. I was able to touch his hand and foot prints and look at his star and wax model. Bonus his concrete block was signed on my birthday. I am one very happy lady.

The happiest place on earth

2010-09-10T16:49:00.000+12:00

Spent the whole day smiling and humming along to the many catchy tunes at Disneyland. It was so fun to finally visit the original and all the rides even the kids ones were a blast.

We found a badge at the start so I popped that on thinking it meant Happy Anniversary Disney but in actual fact you buy the badges at the start to say what you are doing at the park eg. birthday, 1st time etc... so after many happy anniversary greetings we realised they thought we were a couple he he - very funny. Favourite rides were Indiana Jones, Matterhorn Bobsleds, Astro Blasters and of course spotting the kiwis in It's a small world.

We also were able to see the 3d Captain EO with Michael Jackson.

My proudest moment - walking out with only a tin of tea as there are so many shops and sales pitches that I managed to fully avoid for 10 hours.

LA day 1

2010-09-09T15:49:00.001+12:00

Noemi, Elissa and I all headed into town to have a look around. This meant getting to know the crazy traffic and motorways, with a few hair raising moments. We started at the Disney Centre an amazing building designed by Frank Gehry.

Then we headed to a place for lunch and superstar spotting called Urth which had palm heart salad mmmmm and African tea latte also really good Tortilla soup. We did see the paparazzi but couldn't figure out who the girls were.

Then we hit the culture with MOCA watching a hard hitting multimedia art installation by artist Ryan Trecartin and dreamed through the many windows of amazing furniture and interior decoration design shops at the Pacific Design Centre. It was also an amazing building with superb views of central LA.

Then we headed to the ocean to jump on some push bikes and cruise around the piers and beaches seeing only a few odd sights as Venice and Santa Monica were very quiet and empty. Loved all the doctors offering to diagnose sleep disorders so they could prescribe Kush. This area was beautiful with amazing houses and just so wonderful to be back on a bike.

Then we had dinner at the famous Pinks Hotdog joint where I had the Martha Stewart version it was gianormous.

Awesome day but what a massive place no way to see this in 3 days.

The eagle has landed

2010-09-08T18:11:00.000+12:00

I L.O.V.E Emirates so flying with them again for sure. My connecting flight on V Australia was awesome as well. With no one in the seats next to me I was able to sleep most of the flight horizontal - 1st class at cattle class rates wahoo. Picked up at the airport, fed an amazing mexican dinner and then a fun planning session so I am now super excited about the trip.

Rotovegas

2010-09-06T22:18:00.001+12:00

Pre my US trip I had a weekend away in good ole NZ. It was fantastic and really relaxing after the hard slog of job hunting for the last 4 weeks. I soaked in hot springs everyday, had a massage, watched lots of movies and generally relaxed. Rotorua is such a fun town to be in. The last photo is me playing mini golf and I am proud to say I hit two hole in ones.

Luck from the universe

2010-08-31T10:02:00.002+12:00

OK so I am putting it out there that I am off to a second round interview at a company I really really really really want a job at so please universe send me some luck.

Beer tasting and Hamilton Gardens

2010-08-30T09:27:00.001+12:00

This weekend I set off for Hamilton for a night of beer-tasting and as a bit of fun we thought we would get into the theme and dress as a German Oktoberfest couple. The costumes as you can imagine caused alot of laughter.

I tried 22 beers by the end of the night and found some real favourites I have listed below.

Sierra Nevada Kellerweiss
Renaissance Blonde
Schofferhofer Kristal Weizen
Little Creatures Pale Ale

The boys however voted Renaissance Porter and Castle Milk Stout as their two favourites liking a bit more body to their drop.

On Sunday we went to the Hamilton Botanical Gardens and they are really fantastic I am sad I have never been there before. Hopefully some pictures will tell the tale of how beautiful it is especially on the eve of spring.

Semi Permanent

2010-08-27T10:32:00.001+12:00

Inspiration is so important for anyone creative and sometimes when you do it for a job you need your batteries recharged as you get too caught up in the admin and process side of things and forget to take time to smell the roses.

I have been attending Semi Permanent since 2004 making this my 5th one and they just keep getting better every year a credit to the Church who started them here in NZ.

This year I had my little sister with me which was so awesome as for once I could discuss at length each speaker as they went and this only spurred more ideas bubbling away.

You start with a goodie bag packed with coffee, chocolate, stickers, threaded and frankie magazines and of course the annual illustration book, by far the best goodie bags I have come across. The bags are even nice enough to use again.
photo courtesy of Unlimited magazine

We also had the superb MC job again by the extremely talented and funny Radar, he gets away with the most inappropriate things but he does it with such a genuine tone that you take it as harmless. I do think he needs a girlfriend though as he talks about his love of woman alot.

The best speakers for me were the first and last ones.
Jessica had the horrible first slot but she came out like a bolt of energy and was so great to listen to. She had the most amazing portfolio of work especially for a relative newcomer - I am hoping I can buy some of her pieces to frame as she does truely beautiful things with type. Her anecdotes about dogs and ribbon type were also very funny.

The middle speakers I will just rate and sum up in 1 sentence.

Karen Walker & Mikhail Gherman - 2/10 I love their clothes but they were not built for public speaking - Mikhail would have been better on his own as he was interesting

Frost* Design - 6/10 a little hard to follow but the speaker was really wonderful and I can tell she would be great for a night out

Duncan Speakman - 8/10 inspiring what some great ideas can turn into

Pixar - 6/10 Loved seeing their workspaces - if only all companies were as flexible

The Light Surgeons - 7/10 loved the trip down memory lane to old skool analogue

Dick & Otis Frizzell - 9/10 these guys are both brimming over with talent and really made me proud to be a kiwi - plus I did have a crush on Otis as a teenager so was nice to see him a little closer up :)

Poke London - 7/10 amazing work and nice to see designers giving back

Katrin Sonnleitner - 6/10 loved that she kept the T-Shirt that was meant as a prize as why shouldn't the speakers get something too. I know a few people who would lover to play around with her puzzle rugs.

Adrian Shaughnessy - 9/10 very educational and what a privilege to see such a design legend

Buck - 9/10 love to see the mad lengths we can go to sometimes to achieve gems and so great to see another kiwi making it on the international scene

Last slot went to Storm - wanted to know where his name came from as very cool. He was wonderful to listen to as he had a rare combination of extremely dry wit mixed with class - although he did remind me of the saying a gentlemen is a patient wolf. He also asked the audience whether they believed there was life in outer space and the replies were very interesting. It was wonderful to hear all the layers of meaning and stories behind his works and to see him do a project live with the audience a true genius and the Dali/Picasso of our time.

Beers

2010-08-25T14:36:00.000+12:00

This weekend I am off to a beer tasting themed 40th and for it all guests were asked to bring 3-4 different types so the pics show my choices all based on weirdest factor plus coolest labels - question is can you judge a beer by its label?

August Fun

2010-08-24T21:04:00.001+12:00

So this has been a bit of a weird month as it has been a mixture of hard out job seeking sprinkled with a little escapism so rather than get into the job hunting as that's a little dry will update some of the August highlights.

Waiwera Hotpools - this is one of those places your parents take you to as a kid and then you get old and think you are too cool, but I have to say it was such a nice place to spend a grey winter day. I still can't get in the 48c pool not even a foot.

Foodshow - This expo is now a firm regular on my calendar as I just really enjoy spending a day at it. It could be the fact that with all the wine tasting by the end of the day you can achieve a nice buzz and whilst cruising on this buzz you can sample so many exciting new products and existing ones from people uber passionate about them. You know I like an event when I will suffer the cost and crowd and even pull out the trolley something not really accepted in NZ society. I found loads of new teas to add to my bulging collection and in an attempt to not look too mumsy bought some playboy energy drinks.

I also completed my first ever web design a decidedly different challenge to my comfort zone of print. Hoping to see the finished site live soon.

To broaden my chances of meeting potential employers I went along to Sead's Google event where they re-asserted the mind shift to mobiles as a primary source of online interaction, the change to cloud computing and consumer driven apps. Plus the continual rise in social networking sites. Also learnt google had purchased YouTube - the players are getting smaller. All very interesting and met some great fellow lovers of all things online.

I have also managed to satisfy my need for mainstream movies and get along to a few. I am severely behind - the upside of this is for the first time ever I shouldn't have seen every movie on the plane flight coming up.
Inception - 10/10
Cemetery Junction - 6/10
Salt - 7/10
Knight and Day - 6/10
Killers - 7/10

Went along for another fun filled night at K'rds best cabaret bar Caluzzi. I think Pictures tell more than my words.

Also went to another Dance party held in Auckland's Town Hall for Chemistry's 10th Anniversary. The theme was white and most complied making some great black lighting effects. They also had some truely impressive laser lighting. I didn't last long this time as had been at a conference all day so was tired but my fellow dancers lasted till close.

The Chai Tea winner is...

2010-08-16T17:34:00.002+12:00

Dilmah's Masala Chai Fiery Ceylon Spice

This packs a punch but has warm sweet undertones and is great black or with milk.

On the Tea subject look at these great songs about tea drinking.
The Tea Song

The Tea Song

Tea Tea Tea Tea Tea Song

Being on your own

2010-08-16T17:25:00.000+12:00

I am on the hot chase for a new job at present and whilst I do this I am alone at home alot which is nice but can sometimes be lonely and/or boring so a friend sent me this video and its great and was a funny way to make me think of this time alone.

How to be alone

my most visable fan

2010-08-16T17:22:00.000+12:00

To Del, the super person who always comments and so reminds me that atleast one person is reading my rants I wanted to say a special thanks as you are amazing and don't worry the Melbourne sales pitch is working well.

Plus look at the amazing adventure she is on at the moment. Kokoda Experience.

The R Word

2010-08-16T17:19:00.000+12:00

Recession, Restructuring, Redundancy and Reality

You never think it is going to happen to you but today was my turn and well I do like to say I have experienced most things in life so mark that one done and not required to be gone through again.

What does this mean, well — all you lucky employers out there I am back on the job market so will be in touch soon. Am kind of excited as they say "change is as good as a holiday" and on the travel theme a wise friend said to me today "remember that the Airplane takes off against the wind"

On the upside I finish only a week before I go on a USA holiday so could be a well timed refresh and revitalisation (Don't want to miss a few extra R&R's) before starting somewhere new.

Florence and the Machine

2010-07-29T17:21:00.001+12:00

I am soooooooooo excited as tonight I get to see three great musicians live and the sky has turned blue and its not even too cold so working out brilliantly. I have to post a generic pic for now as the venue doesn't allow cameras but will try and get atleast one or two sneaky iphone pics.

1st Naked and Famous
2nd The Drums
Last but not least Florence and the Machine

plus as the venue is out west I thought I would go westie rock-chick so have on all my black clothes. Think Outrageous Fortune but with slightly longer hemline.

She was as awesome as hoped and the venue is not half bad either as first time for me. Can't wait for the new album sounds much more bassy. Loved her hippy, fluid dancing and the harp was very dreamy.

Catchup photo style

2010-07-27T19:43:00.000+12:00

What I have been up to over the last two months in pics:

Cabin Getaway to Ruakaka, Northland NZ - was so tranquil and the ultimate break

My first opera on film Armida and my first live opera The Marriage of Figaro - both amazing performances I am hooked

Saw the play When the Rain stops falling - very moving and free tickets even better

Fish and Chips at Muriwai Beach - Love this place

Field Days, Mystery Creek Waikato - Lets just say am a city girl through and through - was good to give the gold gumboots the mud test though and they came up well.

Deep Hard n Funky - Dancing like its 1999, so much fun I am hooked again so Chemistry here I come

Sarah Laurie - Inspiring Life Coach Seminar

Twilight 3 movie Marathon - had to be done and was a fun night but hard to stay awake till 3am - loved the books and enjoy the movies if only we could pretend the books were not based on teenagers and have some spunky older actors

Fashion Museum Launch - So inspiring, if you have money please get this great idea going

Bitchin Bingo - Have not had so much fun in ages, can see why the oldies love it

Configure Express - So I joined a gym - yikes and sorry no pics of this ever

Dinner at The French Cafe - As always 5 star and mouth watering

My first live Rugby Game - All Black bet the Springboks and was so much fun

Visit to Alberton Historic House - Oh they had so many lovely things including teacups - yay for all things tea

In short lots of fun and activity.

I never get sick

2010-07-27T18:35:00.000+12:00

Well this used to be my saying and up until Monday was fairly true as I rarely get colds or any kind of illness to the extent I won the best attendance award at school one year. But Monday morning I woke with the dreaded thumping headache, sore sinuses, blocked ears and achy body.

As I am not one to accept defeat in the lurgy department I am attacking it with drugs, lemon & honey drinks, chicken soup, total abstaining from sugar and aromatherapy so day two am already feeling better. Hoping that by day three it will be 100% eradicated. If you have any gran's remedies you swear by let me know.

Oh and a side note I had some old sinus pills in my medicine cabinet and they still have Pseudo-ephedrine in them - oh how I love the clear minded energy little old ephedrine's provide.

Buds and Bubs

2010-07-27T18:30:00.001+12:00

Sunday, the traditional day of the lazy was a busy one for me and who could resist when the skies were so blue and the sun was shining.

Went for a stroll around the Auckland Domain and Winter Gardens. It was like we were in warfare with the multitude of cameras - felt like a game of soccer or dodgem. Then had a bite to eat delivered by the absolutely rib cracking funny trolly dolly who is there as part of the Kai to Pie exhibition on at the Museum. How she stays in character so brilliantly and so long I have no idea. Imagine Coronation Street circa 1960's.

Then had my best friends Baby shower and shower is apt as she is a pretty special lady and as such she was literally showered in pink gifts for her baby girl - some really amazing handmade things too like a knitted blanket by her big sis. We had some fun games and quizzes - to which I learnt I have no idea about anything baby related as I got the massive 0/12 for both tests.

If you ever need catering I can highly recommend the Wilson's gals as they made the most amazing spread of cakes and savouries.

And to complete a lovely day I had Thai green curry at "The Legendary Thai Restaurant" not quite sure what they are legendary for but they are conveniently located 20m from my apartment.

Bumping into blogs

2010-07-27T18:26:00.000+12:00

So on Saturday I was lucky enough to go along to the first Art and Craft Fair at the Auckland Art Gallery. It was a buzz of activity with barely enough room to breathe but you could see why when you got the chance to look at the wares as they were all a cut above the Sunday hobby.

I purchased two lovely prints one as it was just so funny and the other because I liked the cute darkness of it.

The best part though was the most unexpected as through someone's blog - so long ago I cannot remember who I originally surfed off but I came across Tiny Happy and I had made the assumption she was Australian so you can imagine my surprise when the blog I have been reading for over a year transformed into real life and I got to meet the very beautiful lady behind it, her embroideries are even lovelier in real life.

We also had cakes at the very fun LaCouronne Bakery - reminds me of the bakeries I visited with my friend Ellen in Japan.

Check out these craft artists, they were my favourites on the day:
Boxx - perfect for any boys out there soon to ask their sweethearts the special question
Chasing Rabbit - I so want this ring so the savings have begun
Ferrit - would love a bleeding heart
Vandalised Vintage - Have wanted a set of seven deadly sins plates for ages

Ultimate Chai in a tea bag

2010-07-22T16:22:00.000+12:00

So I am on the hunt for the best Chai in a tea bag. Why you might ask? well there are a couple of reasons. The first is I love chai and have ever since a little guru walked me to the top of Mt Abu in Rajasthan, India and brewed it from scratch in a billy. Second it's kinda like mulled wine, both I associate with winter. Third I love tea and am always giving myself a reason to hunt out new companies and blends.

Below are the choices I have found locally. I will report back on my favourites once dicovered. I have the advantage of the food show coming up next weekend so can sample lots there.

Healtheries
Green Chai Tea
Black Chai Tea - Be Spicy Tea
Vanilla Chai Tea
Cocoa Chai Tea

Harney Teas
Green Chai - Chai Hara
Indian Spice
Rooibos Chai Herbal

Tea Total
Ginger Spiced Chai Concentrate
Bengal Chai
Caramel Chai
Nepal Masala

Twinings (Bell Tea)
Aromatics - Chai

Scarborough Fair
Chai Black Tea
Chai Green Tea

The T Shop
Chai Espresso
Garum Masala Chai
Ginger Spice Chai
Green Yogi
Irani Chai
Sweet Apple Chai
Vanilla Choc Chip Chai

Tea Culture
Marsala Chai
Nepal Chai

T Leaf T
Chai

Arcadia Chai Tea

Thanks Universe

2010-07-21T18:57:00.000+12:00

Funny how the universe sometimes knows you are blue and sends out some hot pink to cheer you up. It was pouring with rain this afternoon and I was not looking forward to the walk home (sans gold gumboots and umbrella) when a colleague out of the blue offered me a lift - yay. Then I went to get my dinner at my favourite Japanese takeout Renkon and the lady I see every week had just come back from a trip to Japan and gave me a gift as her best customer.

I figured I would join the bandwagon so am now sipping bubbly, while listening to Florence and the Machine and curling up in front of the heater.

So thanks universe I am now a happy lady.

Falling like Domino's

2010-07-21T14:22:00.000+12:00

What an ordeal!

So as you do when it's late at night and the cupboards are bare and you are too tired to venture out you decide to call on the trusty pizza delivery guy. So we did exactly this we went online and ordered a pizza about 11pm at night all went through fine. Well so we thought — but when an hour later we had not received a call and then re-thought the situation and decided it was weird no confirmation email was sent decided it was time we rang.

The phone-call didn't help though as no one answered and it didn't go to a message, so we went back online and after some hunting on the worst store locater function I have ever come across realised 11pm was closing time so we gave up and assumed the transaction was cancelled.

Only the next day a phone call was received at 11am to say the delivery guy was standing downstairs so several phone-calls later we tried to get it diverted to my work, where at 2pm it finally arrived dry cold and not very appetizing - not to mention 15 hours late.

A very bad user experience Dominos from the transaction that went through when the store was closed, to the not picking up that it was a weird one and phoning in the morning, to the eventual delivery of a horrible shadow of a pizza.

Will I shop at Dominos again - NO.

Photo love affair

2010-07-21T13:57:00.000+12:00

Quick Share - Due to reading a colleagues blog I was reminded of her brothers really emotive prints and this in turn reminded me of two other photographers I love the work of for the same reason. Christine Webster and Bill Henson. All have a dark style that I love love love. Go check them out highly recommended.

Farewell into Feasting

2010-07-20T23:06:00.000+12:00

At work as in any community you naturally form bonds with like minded people and eventually these people transition into friends. One such work buddy for me was Calvin. We shared a love of fine food and he eventually became my love and diet guru, keeping me in line when I was wavering and offering some very funny love advice at times. For instance girls out there - apparently a PS3 is the equivalent of 12 long stem red roses.

So when I heard the news he was moving on I was a very sad gal. The upside of it though was a week long foodathon.

First up Sidart, a new restaurant Headed by the Chef formally from The Grove (This years top Auckland Restaurant). This restaurant was a full 9/10. From the moment you walk into the intimate setting with the stunning view of Auckland city to the incredibly creative and experimental menu to the taste sensations on biting into the artworks everything was amazing and I can't wait to go again. We each had 4 courses and the pics don't do justice but will give you an idea atleast.

First Course
T - Salmon w mascarpone, licorice & goats curd
C - Seared scallops, crumbed fish, prawn & feta

Second Course:
T - Lamb loin, smoked beetroot, yogurt & cashew
C - Firstlight venison, grapes w green pea & dukkah

Third Course:
T - Beef fillet, parsnip puree, harissa & parmesan
C - Milk fed veal w rabbit loin, escargot & paella rice, truffle foam

Fourth Course:
T - Fig pudding, mandarin, caramel & five spice
C - Chocolate textures

Then for our next lunch out we hit The Longroom to make the most of their two for one deal and I had a semi nice Baked chicken breast w' creamy wild mushroom on bubble & squeak.

Next up was a Marker favourite Bolliwood as they have this awesome $10 lunch special which includes a curry, pompadom, naan, rice and a drink, very good value for money. My favourite here is their Palak Paneer a spinach based curry that is really really good.

Lastly but not least – I work with mainly boys and they seem to love pizza. It has become somewhat of the holy grail mission here to find the best or the weirdest for our onsite functions. So for Calvin's official farewell a colleague recommended we try Toto's metre long creations. I know what you are thinking at that size they will be soggy and horrible but they were actually some of the best pizza I have had in years. Sergio’s Monthly Special - Tomato pulp, mozzarella, large caper berries, feta cheese, marinated eggplant, chili & mixed herbs, this was my favourite but they were all good.

What a great week of food.

chupa chup heaven

2010-07-20T13:40:00.000+12:00

I have been sooooo good for a year now with all things health so guess it was bound to happen that the old sweet tooth would wage a war but I have found the perfect weapon - The humble chupa chup and I am a huge fan of the berry yogurt flavour and best part they only cost 50c. So this month I am going to sample as many flavours as possible mmmm mmmmmm.

Please let me join your club - Barcamp 2010

2010-07-19T18:17:00.000+12:00

OK so I have written the full rundown of what I listened to over on my work blog so head over there for that but here I thought I would write more about the dynamics of the web/IT community gatherings instead.

Long story short I started in my current job almost 3 years ago now on the premise of helping do a little design whilst mainly doing scheduling for a design studio only to quickly realise that the company was in fact much more of a development one with a tiny portion of design and this portion mainly consisting of web. Well I quickly upskilled in my geek and now am three years along but I still feel very much like an outsider as my art side still vastly out-weighs my science one.

This outsider perspective though means I can sit back and gain some insights from their subculture. I find even though most are introverts they are also massively social as the internet if nothing else has given a forum where the shy can have a screaming voice and yet hide simultaneously the only analogy I can think of even remotely like this in our pre digital days would be graffiti. This voice means that they can break the ice and therefore get to feeling comfortable with a person/group before they have even met them. Plus they are vastly more cheeky over a chat than in person.

So warp speed ahead to an event such as Web Meetup, Webstock, Full code press or the one I have just attended Barcamp and you suddenly see all these shy guys and gals getting up in front of crowds and networking. Now think how many other subcultures could adopt this kind of intro system to eliminate their public speaking and networking fears. It means we finally get to hear talks from people that in the past may never have gotten up and are often the ones you really want to hear being super passionate and knowledgeable about one niche subject.

They can even get celebrity status and like hollywood celebs they have pseudonyms so instead of Madonna or Prince we have names like bigman_01 or the likes. Although you do have to pass a rigorous on/off-line test to become a celebrity including having presence on atleast 3 of the following - Linkedin, Facebook, Flickr, Tumblr, Blogger, Wordpress, Twitter, YouTube and so on but lets face it you should be on all. Having followers and this is pretty big as the more you have the brighter your star will shine. If you can quote lines from Simpsons, Dr Who or other current Animation, Sci Fi and Fantasy TV that helps. The more acronyms you can run off the better too such as CSS, HTML, SEO, UI, RSS and so on (See I can only do 5). Plus the more gadgets you carry the better so if you are just a laptoper you are boring but if you also have an ipad, iphone, Blackberry or notebook much better, if you have all that's supreme.

They are also one of the most highly opinionated set of people I have ever met so if you love debate this is a great forum for it.

Anyway I am hoping I am getting closer to becoming one with my geek-side and entering this world 100%. I think the penny is even starting to drop as words like HTML, Pinging, Wireframing, SEO and so on are all making sense now. The question remains though — is my original online name "totaltanya" now naff and too nineties?

NZ International Film Festival 2010

2010-07-19T18:12:00.001+12:00

To put it nicely I am what you would call a little obsessed with the big screen and movies, have been for years only difference over the years is what I watch and the amount as now thanks to being employed for more than pocket money (thanks mum & dad for all the paid car washing that funded me as a kid) I can go to alot more and Care bears and Disneys Snow white are now docos and fest films. As always when July comes around I get super excited as it brings with it the biggest film fest of the year and I get to spend a weekend watching heaps of trailers and trying desperately to narrow down 100+ films to the small 5-10 I will be seeing.

As a note the design of the logo and accompanying marketing this year is amazing it captures the magic and allure as well as being the most finished, perfected piece of print design I have come across in years. I will be keeping an eye on this design firm and the designer and illustrator for sure.

Illustration: Thomas Simpson

Design: Matt Bluett, Ocean Design

This year due to a rather exciting OE coming up in September I limited myself to five so below are the films I saw and my thoughts/ramblings.

The Illusionst - Sylvain Chomet

I enjoyed this film as the illustrations were lovely and the fact it had no dialogue was nice for a change but I would not say it wowed me and the unusual narrative of the Lolita/Goldigger type character didn't really seem quite right with rather a flat ending. Also a very sad story so you will feel blue on exit. I am told though that this was a shadow in comparison to his first feature length film so I will have to make an effort tosee that.

Favourite scene - When the little girl cooks the performers a special stew and you freak out that she has used the illusionists white rabbit for the meat. Luckily this is not the case and the little rascal eventually pops his head up.

Ajami - Scandar Copti

Wow this film was captivating, brutal and powerful. It was one of those films where the hopelessness of certain areas in the world is highlighted and makes you super sad. The way the story was woven amongst the characters of this one town and in a format like a play with scenes was really well done along with the amazing ripple effect of one action. Would highly recommend seeing this but be warned it is not a happy film. It will also excite some healthy debate so go along with your favourite antagonist/protagonist friends.

Favourite Scene - The one near the end where the brother instinctually knows the choice his brother is making is wrong and won't leave him - it is also the saddest scene but really captured the theme of the movie.

The Runaways - Floria Sigismondi

Two stella performances from the leading ladies Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning and a real gritty pic about the effect of sudden fame and wealth. I thoroughly enjoyed this, good as a chick flick, as a flash back to some old favs in the music department and as a movie in its own right. Plus one can't go past the irony of the life imitating art or vice versa as I am sure the two stars have experienced very similar lives to the ladies they were portraying. Michael Shannon is fantastic as Kim Fowley too.

Favourite Scene - There are many but I do love the scene where Cherie sings Bowie at her high school talent show, her commitment to his look and her attitude of defiance is great.

Melody for a street organ - Kira Muratova

Wow this was a dark film, and if you wanted to produce an anti tourism one this hits the mark as would put me off ever visiting the Ukraine, worth a look though as the way the director spins so many characters into the dialogue is quite cool and it is definitely quirky but have a st johns wort happy tea before hand.

Favourite Scene - right at the beginning when the siblings are sleeping curled into each other and wake up because of the ticket inspector and this is the scene that sets the dynamics of their relationship - plus one of the only happy scenes

Cyrus - Jay and Mark Duplass

American black comedy at its best, a really enjoyable Sunday arvo film with some great performances from some great actors.

Favourite Scene - The conversation at the van as the son moves out when he realises that the new guy is not as dumb as he thought and the true battle for the mums affections begins.

Construction pits

2010-07-19T18:11:00.000+12:00

I walk everywhere and as such have the time to notice things most drivers wouldn't in their daily commute. Two things that come to mind of late are locals turning their council plots of grass into gardens and the two development disasters.

Firstly the gardens. I try to go for a long walk during my lunch break and each day my fellow walker friend and I try to map out new routes around work. So it was on said walks that I started to notice that people were taking over the normally very plain sections of grass between the road and walk path and turning them into really sweet mini gardens. Here are photos of two of these transformations.

Secondly I have two construction pits around me one right in my street on the site that used to house a halfway house, which albeit a bit on the seedy side did give my street a bit of hard cred and certainly provided loads of entertainment. This is now a two time failed development so all that stands is a pit with foundations and concrete. The second and much uglier yet more transforming pit on the corner of Ponsonby and Williamson Avenue. This one was to be a massive undertaking to add new townhouses and shops to the area but alas also fell through so is also a pit of concrete and foundations. This site though keeps transforming as it started as very boring then came the hilarious swimming pool tag.

Then the gold spray painted wheel barrow - never remembered to take a pic of this.

Then it filled almost to the brim with water.

Then they pumped all the water out.

Then came more graffiti and some absolutely hilarious signs.

You have to love how the community gets in there and has their say.

Sad news for my local

2010-07-15T17:10:00.000+12:00

So I assume everyone will understand my woes when I say I just heard that my local haunts Wine cellar and Whammy Bar which are both literally on my doorstep and that I walk past on the stairs everyday on my way to work and back are due to close down this time next year - yet another reason to leave the city during August 2011 and Rugby World cup fever. I will have to make an effort to hang out at both venues heaps between now and then as they have so many memories.

If ever there was a reason to make one of those annoying facebook save it pages now would be it.

Time for an upgrade

2010-07-14T20:50:00.001+12:00

As you can see I felt it was time I upgraded my blog as it has been 4 years since I set the original one up. So with that in mind I felt a splash of colour was in order and what better colour than a coat of pink.

bye bye old one - you will be missed.

May Madness part 1

2010-07-06T22:09:00.000+12:00

01/05/10

Another wonderful day in Melbourne. Started with a delicious brunch with Isabel, Christopher, Hugo, Kathleen, Dusty and Eleanor near the beach.

Then I introduced my mum to the glory and addiction that is IKEA. We both managed to leave without breaking the budget, but as usual I bought a new duvet(dooner) cover. Then we were treated to the most delectable dinner and dessert cooked by the masters Regan and James.

02/05/10

Last day in marvelous Melbourne and started it with more food at the oldie but goodie Greasy Joes in St Kilda with the Whirlwind Design Alumni. Sara, Mel, Andy and Jon. Was so nice to catchup with them and hear all the creative things they are up to. Then sprinted back to town for a last minute Target shopping session before heading to the airport for the flight home. Terrible film on the big screen called Letters to John - not recommended.

04/05/10

There are a few actors I just love regardless of the quality of the script or direction of their movies I will always enjoy watching them, Johnny Depp is one and Robert Downey Junior is another. So with this in mind I headed out to watch the second movie in the Iron Man franchise. I had high hopes as I rather enjoyed the first and it had a great cast but the story was really a bit too predictable. I did absolutely love the choreography of the fight scene that Scarlett did, she is incredible in it.

09/05/10

There are so many amazing things about being a woman like dress-up and giving birth but there are just as many bad things top of my list - Hair removal. There are so many options such as shaving, depilatory, waxing, epilday, laser and so on but all are generally expensive, time consuming, painful, short term and generally unsatisfying - if it weren't for the joy of having a partner I think I would be doing the hippy hairy thing.

13/05/10

Tonight a group of us went to see the stage show Avenue Q. I have to admit I was not too excited as I have never been a huge fan of musicals and the idea of one with puppets seemed even stranger but it had such rave reviews that I thought I had to give it a go. Well I can happily say along with Wicked, Phantom, Grease, Sound of Music and The Rocky Horror Show it has well exceeded my expectations and was one of the funniest and most entertaining shows I have seen all year. The lyrics to some of the songs are pure gold. My favourite being Everyones a little bit racist

"...Everyone's a little bit racistSometimes.
Doesn't mean we go 
Around committing hate crimes.
Look around and you will find
No one's really color blind.
Maybe it's a fact
We all should face
Everyone makes judgments
Based on race..."

I laughed so much and so hard I had the most giant wrinkles etched into my face.


14/05/10A close friend of mine needed a lift to hospital and back as she was due for an outpatient procedure which of course was not nice and as such I was happy to help. I had the best unpredicted fringe benefit from this though as I rarely drive due to the fact I have never owned a car, let alone when I do get the opportunity it is usually in a crap mobile. This however I felt like P Diddy as it was a giant tank of a black SUV (no don't ask what make or model I have no idea) and I noticed the strangest thing as the usual battle to merge on the motorways no longer applied as everyone actually got out of the way. It was so much fun felt like a queen for the day.As it was Friday and we had all had a long tiring week at work a group of us decided to knock of a little early and hit the local pub. Well to cut the story short this was one of those sniff the first drink - fall over drunk two minutes later nights and after 6 hours and copious amounts more of alcohol I was decidedly tiddly and on my stumbling (sashaying) walk home a friendly group of maoris on their way back from Karaoke decided to take me under their wing and feed me back to sanity. By the end of my magic kebab we were having a kiwi vs Ireland sing off in the restaurant. Such a fun way to complete a night out.

15/05/10

OK so early starts and hangovers are not the best combination so I was running super late delivering the car back to my friend and consequently she had an appointment to get to so ran out of time to drop me home meaning I was at the mercy of the Trains. Now this is not normally an issue only on this occasion I missed the train by 1 minute so had to wait the full 1 hour for the next one. My ipod battery was flat. I had no book and it decided to pour with rain and crazy thunderstorms and wind all on a day I had thrown on the clothes on my floor - in short 1 cotton dress and a pair of leggings. I was feeling decidedly sorry for myself. I then had another hour to wait at the changeover for the next train so by the time I reached my friends for lunch I was very clean and crisp to say the least.

Then still feeling very sorry for myself I attempted to mask this with the female aids of makeup and fashion before heading out for a Birthday celebration. We had a fun night of ten pin bowling of which I can proudly say I was the worst I mean if you can't be the best why be in the middle?

Then we headed out for some really good Japanese food which finally did the trick and made me feel completely human again. I had the most fun sizzling crackling cook it yourself sukiyaki meal. The highlight of the night though was definitely the dad a Japanese virgin so as such ordered a taster plate and thought the green ball was to be eaten whole as like most food on the plate and then spent the next 10 minutes trying to stop his burning mouth and teary eyes. The green ball of course being wasabi.

16/05/10

For mothers day my gift was that at the next craft meetup that my mum hosted for the ladies I would do all the catering. It was fun but very busy making so much food in such a short space of time and my mum feeling sorry for me came in to help and when I asked her to get the jam out for the pikelets thought I had said the scones so the cheese and herb scones were soon topped with raspberry - now I imagine if I was in America this might have gone down a treat with their peanut butter and jam like combo but here it was a little strange.

After all the cooking was done I packed a picnic and headed to Takapuna beach for a lovely stroll and relaxation after the madness. Also got to try a bites of the lemon meringue gelato from the Takapuna Beach Cafe - mmmmmmmmmmm

17/05/10

This morning we had a super early start as it was one of our 6 weekly work Breakfasts. Always nice to have a yummy cooked breakfast out and today featured the slide show from my boss Jon as he recently did the mad hatter thing and volunteered to join the part time army so had just returned from the full on basic training course. It confirmed that I would not be donning the khakis. It also confirmed that when my relative chose Waiuku as the Army base because he thought no one would want to live there - that he was spot on it looked absolutely freezing. We have nick named our boss GI Jon.

19/05/10

I am a third of the way through my 12 week life coaching and boy am I getting organised. Today I purchased a product called Mobile me which syncs my calendar and address book between my work computer, my home laptop and desktop and my iphone so now every device I own can check what my schedule is for the day. I have even made my calendar have subsections for each of the wheel of life focus areas to ensure I am spending equal time on each part.

Another bonus of my coaching was brainstorming ways to keep my volume of reading up even though my allocatable time had reduced and we came up with the idea of audio books. I am now an audio book addict as they are so good to listen to when walking to and from work or other such places and you can get through books so quickly. Richard Branson reads his own biography for losing my virginity.

It is kind of like being read a story like you were as a kid.

My amazing nana

2010-06-03T15:48:00.000+12:00

Go nana, all it took was turning 105 to get in the local news.

Courtesy of North Shore times

www.northshoretimes.co.nz

Beehive 30/04/10

2010-06-01T00:12:00.000+12:00

Then began the action woke and headed into the patchwork show, it was pumping like the atmosphere in a beehive so many ladies so many things to look at and a constant hum. I was more interested in looking at the building as I love it with every detail so well thought out and pretty – yes I called a building pretty. Especially the Victorian paintings of the ladies of the seasons.

We were lucky enough to watch a lady from the USA talk who was amazing how she could rethink traditional extremely hard piecing techniques and change them into almost simple ones. She was also so cute using her husband who she clearly adored as a display stand.

I managed to keep in budget and only bought a button and Christmas decoration.

Finished the day getting mum some beautiful brown boots and then a giant dinner at a local restaurant called Tonik. Great start to the whirlwind weekend.

8 year old life lessons 30/04/10

2010-06-01T00:01:00.001+12:00

My mum asked Dels son who is around 8 years old how a girl should go about keeping her man and he responded "put a ring on his finger and marry him as soon as you can before another girl steals him or he runs away" We thought this was hillarious.

Airpoints Special - 29/04/10

2010-06-01T00:01:00.000+12:00

I jokingly call myself the olds IT helpdesk as invariably when I pop round for a visit I end up trying to nut out questions or problems with their computers. One such day my mum and I were chatting and she mentioned she would soooo like to go to the patchwork show on in Melbourne but didn’t have the money so I suggested she use her airpoints. To this idea she said she couldn’t work out how so I cheekily said if you take me I would organise it for her. Expecting to be told to stop being cheeky I was happily surprised when she said go for it – so not one to look a gift horse in the mouth I booked those tickets for a girls weekend away before she could change her mind so with 2 weeks prep we were off.

Everything went smoothly checked our car in no hassle went straight through customs and by the time duty free shopping was complete walked straight onto the plane but that’s when the fun started we had a couple with two babies who cried the entire flight so much so you almost didn’t notice it by the end. I got to watch Crazy Heart which was good and the noise block out worked semi OK – not as good as gadget queen next to me with her super dooper noise block-out ones.

We arrived and hopped in a cab which took us swiftly to Hotel Del – my amazing friend who never fails to look after, cats, kids, visitors, husbands, friends, home stays, neighbours, colleagues and her community all simultaneously and always with a smile – such a legend. Only had a slight issue with mums suitcase as she realised her key was on the car keys back in NZ so had to break into it but the extremely cute kittens well and truly made up for it.

Kelly or Brett the big cook off 28/04/10

2010-05-31T23:59:00.001+12:00

Not sure if I have blogged about my latest health friendly find but if so you will just have to hear it all again as I am in love with Fantastic’s newish Delites they are more like chips only rice and the flavours are super intense. Salt n Vinegar is my favourite but have discovered that the sweet chilli and sour cream ones go amazingly with Lisa’s Hummus and sundried tomato dip. Try them you won’t regret it. Plus they come in snack packs too which is the perfect thing if your fellow workmates are annoying you – the cure whip out the delites and crunch away instant happiness in the mouth for you whilst annoyance to everyone in a 3 metre radius from you.

Tonight I went to the luxury apartment of Mike and Steve’s fully equipped with shag carpet, comfy couches and giant screen to watch the final of masterchef, the lady - Kelly I wanted to win didn’t but I had to admit that in the end Brett did deserve it on the day and their final cookoff of the Croquembouche was pretty impressive no way I could have made it. Felt like what I imagine boys feel like watching the final of the tri nations or something.

Masterchef 27/04/10

2010-05-31T23:59:00.000+12:00

I have been a bit hopeless on the cooking front at home as living alone it is simply less hassle to just eat out for lunch and dinner and really doesn’t cost much more but after getting a bout of inspiration post watching the latest masterchef series on TVNZ ondemand I decided to pull out my latest issue of Dish magazine and create atleast 3 recipes from it. Not particularly hard when this months issue is all about Italy.

I decided to give myself a night of indulgence so put Bach on the stereo, lit some candles and made a beautiful wild mushroom risotto followed by Tira mi su and both were mouth watering good.

The following day I made a slow roasted tomato and artichoke pasta which was equally as nice, I am happy to report Dish is still my favourite mag for food as the photography is stunning, the articles are well written and interesting and the recipes are that nice mix of achievable and exotic and always turn out perfectly (well as long as you are happy to part with lots of money to get all the ingredients they suggest and some are pricey).

Anzac's and Olives 25/04/10

2010-05-31T23:58:00.000+12:00

Rose super early at 4:30am to attend the dawn parade at the Auckland War Memorial museum and was still too late to get a good spot in relation to viewing so opted for atleast a good view of the giant screen. Was properly dressed this year in ugg boots, down jacket and hat and gloves after freezing my toosh off the previous year. The ceremony was wonderful as always with the usual collapse of the old soldier and the many remembrances of the newly lost. But the new addition was we sang the Australian national anthem as well as the New Zealand one but the programme people were not very good at getting round so unfortunately the crowd was a lot more lively during ours than our neighbours.

Then went home for a quick shower and change to get ready for my first experience of olive picking.

Met the team on the ferry to Waiheke the weather was perfect not blaring hot but still warm. The picking itself was not hard but the sheer volume of trees to be picked was we worked from 10am till about 7pm with lots of laughter, fun and great food and wine along the way. The end result was 50 Litres of Olive Oil not bad for a team of 13. The day ended with the most stunning magenta sunset and a soothing ferry ride back to Auckland. A lot of fun and would love to join in again next year.

Now just to wait for the oil to rest so it can be bottled and I can try some of our hard labour in the kitchen.

Cakes and cursed 24/04/10

2010-05-31T23:52:00.000+12:00

My friend Julena turned the big 30 this year so she also went for a high tea to celebrate but at home and boy did all us wannabe Martha Stewart's come to the forefront with the most decadent array of mainly sweet offerings – so hard not to fall into the “eyes bigger than stomach” trap especially as so many not only sounded good but also looked so delicate and pretty.

My offering was the Toblerone mousse cups I am getting a bit of a rep for ( a good reputation of course) – luckily no one knew that what they were eating was round two as round one the plastic container I used to melt the chocolate melted in the microwave and made the most atrocious smell burnt chocolate is definitely the stark opposite experience to normal.

After this girls party I went on to my friend Katherine’s for a night of chilling with her fav wine and some hells pizza – I just love both their Limbo (Blue Vein cheese, caramalised onion, cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes and black pepper) and their Cursed (Chicken, Smoked Cheddar, Bacon, Cheese, Gherkins, Ham, Onions and Honey Mustard) pizzas.

Feijoas at Twilight 23/04/10

2010-05-31T23:51:00.000+12:00

So if you can remember a while back I was travelling to Wellington and realised I had left my book at home so picked twilight up at the airport as it was on sale and then was hooked and proceeded to get my fellow bookclubians hooked so now over a year later and on the eve of the release of the third film tonight’s discussions were rather heavily swayed towards a few members now obsessions with the world that is twilight a level of commitment I have not really seen outside of Comic and Sci Fi fans(Think trekkies with fangs). I am a little hooked on their passion for it so am going along to the 3 movie marathon in June when it’s released I think a dose of no-doze might be in order to stay awake though as it starts at 7pm and ends about 2am.

I also discovered an amazing new recipe as had a large delivery of feijoas from two sources at work who know how much I love them. Feijoa and Lime Muffins.

I actually love pretty much feijoa anything – Icecream, Juice, Jam, Vodka, Wine – the sweet flavour combined with the gritty texture is just devine.

Tootsies, Teas, Boys and Bars 17/04/10

2010-05-31T23:47:00.000+12:00

Now if you thought yesterday was jam packed and full of party items then you don’t know me well as I kept up the momentum today starting with a refreshing ride around the bays then went and relaxed in the massage chair of the Posh Nail pedicure ladies along with 3 other friends was very fun and came away with turquoise toes.

Then onto the best part High Tea at the Langham Hotel. All the girls were dressed beautifully and the food was fabulous as in conjunction with their anniversary and the release of Alice in Wonderland the food was all a bit crazy with blue sandwiches and exciting looking desserts. Our waiter was a laugh couldn’t quite get his head around my sisters allergies (Cane sugar, Dairy, Soy and Nightshade) and what to bring her so she ended up with a giant plate of fresh fruit I can think of worse things.

In a state of sugar overdose hysteria we headed down the road to watch the latest NZ film offering Boy and what a treat it was everything a good film should be with just the right balance of drama, action, humour and sentimentality and the main characters really drew you in. Plus the Maori haka take on Michael Jacksons Thriller was gold.

Then headed across to the Brooklyn bar to start the food and drink part of the evening transitioning from there to Cassette 9 catching a bit of the art fest Living Room films on the way then Nuffield Brewbar and Ponsonby Social Club before a burger and bed a long day from 8am – 3am but thoroughly enjoyable all the way.

I was completely spoiled by everyone with lots of surprises and presents so thanks to all my lovely ladies who make my life so special I am forever grateful.

Spoilt Tanya - 16/04/10

2010-05-31T23:41:00.000+12:00

It’s my birthday today and yes all who know me are aware I make the most of this time of year and drag it out as long as possible — as lets face it the act of being alive is pretty great and I love looking back on the past and dreaming about the future.

This year particularly feels like a good one, and I do have the theory that we hibernate during the odd years and achieve everything super exciting in the even ones so 32 today so a nice even start for a year to achieve loads.

Started the day very early like Christmas as mum and dad had given me my present the day before so couldn’t wait to see what I had been given, and what a super surprise a new camera – finally photos without the customary blur of my current one.

I made a super yummy carrot cake for morning tea. So nice in fact, it only lasted a few minutes before it was completely devoured at work. Then I went out for lunch and had an old favourite butter chicken for lunch as being a health nut of late had not had it in almost a year and boy did it taste as good as I remembered.

Then after work met some friends for drinks at the longroom the local Ponsonby place to spot the celebs.

Finally went for a family dinner at Turkish café and ate the largest meal ever which after cake and Indian was feeling a little rollie pollie to say the least.

What a great way to bring in the new year.

blogging burnout

2010-05-18T21:59:00.000+12:00

OK so that brings me to mid April so only one month to go before I am back up to date.

Values 14/04/10

2010-05-18T21:57:00.000+12:00

Life coaching take 2 – my values and I am going to share them although quite private I think its nice to see what it is that drives a persons life.

2010-05-18T21:54:00.000+12:00

Some days are doomed to be flatout and this was one of them I had lunch with a friend then had my WW meeting then saw the documentary “Picture Me” the behind the scenes look at the world of models which was interesting and made me glad I am not a super hotty as would not want their lives. Then went straight onto the aptly named movie “Kick Ass” which I had no idea what I was walking into as although a mad lover of comics this was one set I had never come across and the super hero was a slicing dicing quite literally scary assassin girl child called Hit-Girl. I read an article interviewing Mark Strong who plays the Mafia boss and he talks about how weird it was for him to have to beat up a child on the set daily but he said he just had to get over it to stay true to the story. Worth a look as very different to the normal super hero movie. This has prompted me to off the top of my head make a list of my top 10 favourite comics made into films – have no doubt missed many good ones but it’s a start

Bike Buddy Gone 09/04/10

2010-05-18T21:41:00.000+12:00

Tonight was my last ride with my best bike buddy Lara as she is about to leave NZ to go on her big OE based in Edinburgh. I met Lara through work and she was that rare bottle of bubblyness and light that some girls have and I am sad to lose her as now we stand as 6 girls to 12 boys which is way too much boy fever for my liking – will have to pitch a hot receptionist or something to the directors to even up the score.

Life Coaching 07/04/10

2010-05-18T21:37:00.000+12:00

Start of one of the most exciting segments of 2010 for me Life coaching. A friend of mine mentioned she had started up a business last year and I have huge respect for her so I thought what the hell, even a goal oriented person like me could use a bit more fire in my belly and a little wisdom from a specialist in motivation. It was the best 45 minutes I have ever invested in as I learned so much about the simple essence of what drives us and me in particular so I signed myself up for the whole 12 week shebang. Stay tuned for the revelations that are to come as the weeks roll on.

To click or not to click 04/04/10

2010-05-18T21:34:00.000+12:00

Daylight savings come back – I would so rather get up in the dark and have some semblance of light when I left work in the evening than what happens with this change where the light hours are during the work hours so you begin to feel like a vampire (without the blood sucking or sexy Draculaesque men to make it at all enjoyable) I did get out today and saw two more World cinema showcase films, the first a really hard hitting English story of an abused young teenage girl called “Fish tank” and then straight into a glitzy, CGI overload Japanese film called “Goemon” which was thoroughly enjoyable a little like the Kung fu Hustle type of action/drama/comedy mix only the eastern film producers can do.

Also finally took the plunge and got on the internet dating badwagon – see below my attempt to fit my entire personality into one sentence only to find once launched when it said one liner it meant one liner the blurb in the search results just being the first paragraph of the big description - woops.

Can you imagine now in retrospect how I can see the boys reading this statement.

“Travel - YES, Music - YES, Movies - YES, Good dining - YES, Beach - YES, Camping - YES, Boring - NO, TV - No, Couch – NO”

Sure made for some very funny responses.

Cabin Fever 03/04/10

2010-05-18T21:31:00.000+12:00

I love my little apartment I affectionately call the shoebox but I am not a lover of sitting on my laurels so for the first time in forever I got full on cabin fever as I think this was the first full 24 hours where I had not left my room for a year. Yes I know to all the mommas and poppas out there the luxury of a day of peace and quiet with nothing to do but read and relax sounds like fun but for me it sent me quite literally batty so by about 5pm I started calling all my friends and driving them nuts with crazy lady banter to try and suppress my boredom. I have now sworn to go for atleast one trip outside everyday.

Arctic swimming 02/04/10

2010-05-18T21:30:00.001+12:00

Went for a walk along the bays coastline from Long Bay with Jane and Noemi, which although steep at times afforded us some amazing views and Jane the resident Scottish chick (eg. Thinks freezing water is like a bath) even went for a swim.

Design Assembly 31/03/10

2010-05-18T21:29:00.001+12:00

Went along to the first design assembly for 2010 and it was really great you can see the themes in general culture really permeating design decisions now and its great it feels like a much more rounded approach with not only the designers talent showcase, the clients ROI, the users needs but also the wider sustainable ripple effect the end result will have – I am excited to see what design will be like in 5 years. Was also fascinating to hear from a bright bubbly Uni student who is studying policy with a focus on the arts and her opinions of the soon to be formed “Super city” of Auckland. Below are a few links of the people and the concepts I heard.

www.designassembly.org.nz

------

http://typekit.com/

http://www.typetester.org/

http://www.fontsquirrel.com/

http://csstypeset.com/

------

www.jadetang.com

http://www.ymediachallenge.co.nz/

http://www.xs4all.nl/~maxb/ftf1964.htm

------

http://policyprojects.ac.nz/elisesterback/

http://www.artistsalliance.org.nz/html/article.php?documentCode=35170

http://www.cpc.org.nz/tags/supercity/