.. air supply ..

air supply is moving

2008-09-07T13:24:00.003+12:00

i've been working on some updates and i'm getting frustrated with blogger so air supply is off to wordpress.

http://quikflik.wordpress.com

Captains Fantastic

2008-08-03T12:46:00.001+12:00

i was just reading an article on the Herald site about how injured Richie McCaw flew with the airforce and theres a lovely little photo of his smiling face.
i will regularly mention that hes the man i am going to marry - and yes, this girl will be holding out hope til the day she dies.

but hang on one moment!
Richie is not the first All Black Captain that i wouldnt kick out of bed for farting. most of the other captains are hotties in their own right. Its not just the jersey!

and just further to all that ...i'm sure most of you have received the Chuck Norris emails. Well I received this Richie McCaw version from a friend today. I passed it round the office and most found it pretty funny so I thought I'd share it with those of you who haven't been forwarded it yet.

1. When Richie McCaw goes swimming he doesn't get wet, the water gets
Richie McCaw'ed.

2. When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet
for Richie McCaw.

3. Richie McCaw counted to infinity - twice.

4. Richie McCaw invented every colour. Except pink. Tom Cruise invented pink.

5. When Richie McCaw does a pushup, he isn't lifting himself up, he's pushing the Earth down.

6. Richie McCaw hand is the only hand that can beat a Royal Flush.

7. Richie McCaw gave Mona Lisa that smile.

8. Richie McCaw can slam a revolving door.

9. Some kids piss their name in the snow. Richie McCaw can piss his name into concrete.

10. Richie McCaw once visited the Virgin Islands. They are now The Islands.

11. Richie McCaw's calendar goes straight from March 31st to April 2nd; no one fools Richie McCaw.

12. Richie McCaw can speak Braille.

13. Richie McCaw's tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried. Ever.

14. Superman owns a pair of Richie McCaw pyjamas.

15. Richie McCaw owns the greatest Poker Face of all-time. It helped him win the 1993 World Series of Poker despite him holding just a Joker, a Get out of Jail Free Monopoly card, a 2 of clubs, 7 of spades and a green #4 card from the game Uno.

16. Richie McCaw sleeps with a night light. Not because Richie McCaw is afraid of the dark, but the dark is afraid of Richie McCaw.

17. Richie McCaw doesn't pop his collar, his shirts just get erections when they touch his body.

18. Once a cobra bit Richie McCaw's leg. After five days of excruciating pain, the cobra died.

19. Richie McCaw divides by zero.

20. Richie McCaw is always on top during s*x because Richie McCaw never f***s up.

21. When Richie McCaw exercises, the machine gets stronger.

22. Richie McCaw doesn't use pickup lines, he simply says, "Now."

23. Richie McCaw sold his soul to the devil for his rugged good looks and unparalleled rugby ability. Shortly after the transaction was finalized, Richie spear-tackled the devil and took his soul back. The devil, who appreciates irony, couldn't stay mad and admitted he should
have seen it coming. They now play poker every second Wednesday of the month.

24. Richie McCaw can kill two stones with one bird.

25. Richie McCaw once had an erection while lying face down. He struck oil.

26. Richie McCaw once devoured a whole wheel-barrow full of clay to prove to a friend that the expression "Sh***ing bricks" wasn't just a figure of speech.

27. The only time Richie McCaw was wrong was when he thought he had made a mistake.

theres a few more really funny comments on the Rugby Roundtable

the real kiwi test?

2008-07-18T09:39:00.006+12:00

this has got to be one of the funniest and most addictive things i have done all ... day.

the automobile driving manual says that the average drivers reaction time is .75 seconds or 1 car length for every 16kmph. test your average reaction time;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/sleep/sheep/reaction_version5.swf

oliver driver and friend in a scene from kiwi horror film 'black sheep'

Farmer Brown was so proud of his shiny new tractor

2008-07-16T10:45:00.004+12:00

my mate boogie. farmer brown at heart alright. at mystery creek field days near hamilton.

hanging out for batman

2008-07-15T23:25:00.003+12:00

found this awesome poster today for the Dark Knight. cant wait!!

religion

2008-07-15T22:57:00.003+12:00

there are nearly half a million christians rocking it in sydney at the moment. oh ... and the Pope is there too.

who wants to be a dumbass

2008-07-15T22:55:00.002+12:00

insults for today

2008-07-15T21:21:00.007+12:00

today is a good day to celebrate insults, especially ones with a sneaky little profanity.

i've got that kind of work on at the moment where you want to bang your head against the desk at odd moments through out the day. luckily, i have an escape in that i can work from home. in my 'jamas if needs be. i'm not complaining about the work - in fact i am really enjoying it. but part of the day is spent juggling tasks and calls and different projects and following process and on and on ...... the paperwork only gets done towards the end of the day and into the evening.
of course the irritation with persons and things could be due to the excessively strong espressos i have during the day. is probably also the reason that it takes me ages to get to sleep at the moment.
i think this post could be sponsored by fixd cafe. in a good way. fresh beans! weeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

.. Are you always this stupid or are you making a special effort today?
.. Right now I'm sitting here looking at you trying to see things from your point of view but I can't get my head that far up my ass.
.. I'm blonde, whats your excuse?
.. Damn not you again.......
.. If I ever need a brain transplant, I'd choose yours because I'd want a brain that had never been used.
.. He would be out of his depth in a puddle.
.. I'm not mean ... you're just a sissy.
.. How about a game of hide and go fuck yourself?

Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

CONGRATULATIONS Ewi and Cat!!!

2008-07-09T13:08:00.003+12:00

bloody hell! tis the season to get married ... well to get engaged at least.
this post is a little overdue but i have been a little swamped.

so here is a big congratulations to my little brother Iain and his wife to be Caterina!!

ENGAGEMENT CONGRATULATIONS AND HUGS!!
this event is definitely worthy of capital letters! and mad lots of exclaimation marks!

their engagement party was held in london in days just gone past and mom and i are now planning our trip to the UK for the wedding in august next year.

bad Apple

2008-07-09T10:54:00.002+12:00

am i the only one who doesnt give a shit about the iPhone and who couldnt care less how much Vodafone New Zealand is selling its data plans for? the link goes to the Herald blog site regarding opinions on the pricing. for gods sake .. if you dont like it - dont buy it!!

seriously ... standing in line for more than 24 hours in the middle of winter outside a store??
http://gizmodo.com/5022869/this-may-be-the-first-man-on-the-planet-to-get-an-iphone-3g

this ASSHOLE needs the bash

2008-07-08T22:17:00.005+12:00

tony veitch. 'alleged' woman basher.

prick should lose his job. hear that TVNZ!
clint brown paid the price for a punch in the nose - tony veitch deserves that and more for kicking a woman in the back and into a wheelchair for months. and in the head too apparently!

i now hear that he has resigned - or stepped down temporarily. someone should step ON him and permanently!

edit :. 09/07/2008
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10520758
he admitted it. he apologised for it. good for him.

Cozzie Poker Tour - Tour 1

2008-07-08T09:51:00.010+12:00

cossies poker tour was a total success and a bloody good way to spend monday nights during winter.

each week, the venue would rotate between the players and the host was to provide dinner and beers (or red wine for me).

our patron of poker - mr cozzie

last night was the final round - Round 10 - and it was held at the grumbles house.
i provided the dinner, as my house is wayyyy too small for all that poker testosterone, and away we went.

a spectacular dinner - by me!

aslan and gavin (grumble) - number 2 and number 1 for round 10

final results for Tour One :

1. Cozzie (24 points)
2. Goldfish (34 points)
3. Barron (36 points)
4. Grumble (37 points)
5. River Phoenix (38 points)
6. Scum (43 points)
7. Tara (47 points)
8. Aslan (51 points)
9. Russell (52 points)

10. Dazza (63 points)

round two invitations - courtesy of the extremely busy when hes working from home in his underpants, mr grumble campbell.

dive! dive! dive!

2008-07-07T10:59:00.005+12:00

i started my divemaster course today.

i was planning on taking the rest of january off when nell and i got back from south america - but certain property purposes whilst i was away meant i had to get my unemployed ass into employment as soon as possible.
leigh and i were going to spend a month up in tutukaka doing the course full time when andrew and anna were working there, but now that they are back down in auckland and working at Global Dive (westhaven marina), squidleigh and i are going to do the course now, together and with them. woooooo! plan the dive and dive the plan?? something like that.
squidleigh got his dive name through a very unfortunate incident on our advanced open water course. i think its a whole nother blog entirely. in fact, just about everyone we know has dive names.

advanced open water dive course, poor knights, december 2006
squidleigh on the left, me (chichi) on the beanbag and anna (sensei) our instructor on the right

january would have been a much better time to do it - considering new zealand is right in the middle of the icy grip of winter. luckily enough for me, the first round is an open water course being held in the heated olympic pool in newmarket.
and i want to give the big ups to mr cossie who managed to collect my dive computer after it had its battery replaced (nearly three months ago). luckily he works near the shop - cos i am too unorganised to do it myself!
so here we go .... PADI Divemaster! the next button on the list.

PADI Divemaster Course Details

Your adventure into the professional levels of recreational diving begins with the PADI Divemaster program. Working closely with a PADI Instructor, in this program you expand your dive knowledge and hone your skills to the professional level. PADI Divemaster training develops your leadership abilities, qualifying you to supervise dive activities and assist instructors with student divers.

During the PADI Divemaster program, you learn dive leadership skills through both classroom and independent study. You complete water skills and stamina exercises, as well as training exercises that stretch your ability to organize and solve problems. You put this knowledge into action through an internship or series of practical training exercises.

Knowledge Development: 12 topics ranging from dive theory to assisting student divers in training
Prerequisites: PADI Advanced Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification from another training organization), PADI Rescue Diver (or qualifying certification from another training organization), 20 logged dives, 18 years old.
Minimum Number of Logged Dives: 60 for certification as PADI Divemaster

good ol' times

2008-06-09T16:50:00.002+12:00

todays post comes courtesy of jontie (our womble).
these are from a night that we had at the kingslander, over 2 years ago.
a point to note - cossie still looks the same when hes pissed.

its cheaper to be fat and die young

2008-06-04T09:50:00.005+12:00

for all our talk of improving our health and lifestyle, there doesnt seem to be a lot of putting the money where the mouth is. or is it that we just put our money into our mouths?

i was in the supermarket last night after going to the gym. i was looking for some fruit for the week, some meat to make a stew for dinners and a nice piece of steak to have with salad for dinner that night. apples - over $5.00 per kilo! tomatoes - over $5.00 per kilo! lamb - over $18.00 per kilo! i just about died.
and jontie, who has just gotten home from seeing his parents in australia, was so astounded at the price of fresh fruit, vegetables and meat, took a pxt and sent it to his dad. i could have gone to mcdonalds for all my meals that week and paid less than one trip to the supermarket (possibly as i dont buy bread, cheese and milk which have risen in price at even more astronomical rates).

i believe that we should be rewarded for eating healthy food, working out and taking supplements. instead it appears we are penalised by exhorbitant prices for food. surely the idea that other countries can remove the goods and services tax on fresh foods means new zealand can investigate that further? i have read commentary that suggests that a flat low tax rate hinders tax avoidance - but with only a small tax cut in sight and taxes on petrol set to increase, surely enough is enough. why not consider using gst as a luxury tax?
the government doesnt want to regulate advertising for junk food in childrens viewing times ( i dont know why) but it should be encouraging adults to eat healthier and exercise more and therefore set a good example. changing advertising rules isnt going to help but there is more than one way to trap a kiwi, and the wallet is a good start.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=206&objectid=10506604&pnum=0

Prime Minister Helen Clark has said it is unlikely GST on food will be removed, despite growing support for the tax's abolition as consumers struggle to cope with rising prices.
The cost of filling the average supermarket trolley has jumped by more than a quarter in the past year, as the effect of international food shortages hits New Zealand.
A Weekend Herald comparison showed butter, cheese and some varieties of bread had more than doubled in price. Most meat, vegetables and fish were also much more expensive.
But Helen Clark this morning told Newstalk ZB it was unlikely the Government would make any changes to GST.
"GST has been in place since the mid-1980s and that was when schemes like family support, which has now become the much bigger and more significant Working for Families, began," she said.
"Obviously there will be some tax relief announced in the budget and I think it's going to be very, very timely for families."
A petition urging abolition of GST on food is gathering support outside Auckland supermarkets.

is it possible to have a discount offered on our healthcare as we take responsibilities for our heart and lungs and liver? i appreciate that my health care insurer is a private company - but i still pay my premiums as well as my gym membership which in turn keeps my claim rate down. actually at nil.
in australia it was estimated that if each person lost 1 kilogram of body weight, they could save approximately 30% of their healthcare budget. think what that would do for new zealand - for our education, transport, world cup stadiums!!
and dont even get me started on supplements ... over 50% increase in the last 12 months.

its so much cheaper for me to be fat, eat unhealthy food, take no supplements and get the goverment to subsidise my mobility scooter to haul my lard ass around. besides, i will probably die younger too.

my ears are dead but i am still smiling

2008-05-25T13:49:00.001+12:00

thanks to anton - heres a video of my mkIII golf gti on the dyno yesterday

dirty, sexy, happy

2008-05-24T18:13:00.003+12:00

in celebration of my golf gti exceeding my expectations at eurosport dyno day today ... here is a classic banned volkswagen commerical

potty mouth

2008-05-21T15:54:00.005+12:00

i have a potty mouth.
i have a problem with profanity.

i now have a problem with profanity, sharks, tanks, kittens and dogs.

running with scissors

2008-05-12T12:45:00.000+12:00

i was asked a really interesting question yesterday - could i think of three reasons that aoldescents were committing more and more 'adult crimes". i can definitely think of three and they all focus around what i perceive as the difference between growing up now and when i was an adolescent ...

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s!!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn’t get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We brushed our teeth with toothpaste from lead tubes.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.

As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a ute on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We ate pikelets, white bread and real butter and drank Mello Yello made with sugar, but we weren’t overweight because, WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo’s, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD’s, no surround-sound or CD’s, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or chat rooms……. WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not poke out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend’s house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!

Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

CONGRATULATIONS sarah and andy!

2008-05-10T21:35:00.001+12:00

my absolute lovelies are engaged since the evening of saturday 12 may.

i got a call while i was in the supermarket buying wine, so i bought a little bit more just to celebrate. i am super super super stoked for them and cant wait to maid of honour at the wedding in 2-3 years (although i would put money on it being sooner)
however, i will not wear pink, lilac or any other pastel colour! but i will get drunk and make fabulous speeches.

now i have lots of maidy duties to look forward to - including, helping the bride choose her dress, helping the bride consume vast quantities of champagne, presenting the bride with her wedding cutout scrap book, slapping the bride when she turns into a monster.

love you darlings!

mood : super stoked and slightly tiddly

tuesday is mondays evil cousin

2008-04-29T18:34:00.001+12:00

i had a case of mondayitis yesterday - and i'm usually pretty even with my moods. it takes a lot to get me down. but before i knew what was happening to me, i was at the dairy around the corner buying a packet of timtams.

for anyone who knows me knows that spells trouble.
you see, i'm a bit of a food nazi and i dont really eat anything processed or junkie.

thank god for nell. she saved me from timtams with the best piece of comedy that i have seen .. ever. i kill you!

mood : rebellious

food - week one - planning

2008-04-28T12:42:00.008+12:00

as i said yesterday, when little tara hubbard went to the cupboard, the cupboard was bare!
thats a good thing though. there is nothing left - so there is nothing that i shouldnt consume. the trick now, is to make sure that the next trip to the supermarket ensures that it stays that way.

i have been reading about putting my body in a catabolic state - and this can be aided by eating catabolic foods. the reason i started looking this up, is that this is the state that my trainer recommended i put my body into.

Anabolic vs Catabolic State

One way of categorizing metabolic processes, whether at the cellular, organ or organism level is as anabolic or catabolic. Catabolism is the part of metabolism that breaks down molecules into smaller units to generate energy and simultaneously takes measures to conserve energy. Stress, such as during weight loss program, can put the body into the catabolic state, in which the body can experience muscle loss, reduced metabolic rate with a corresponding reduced calorie expenditure and lower perceived energy levels, and weight gain in the form of fat. One aspect of the catabolic state is that it can be characterized as having high cortisol (a catabolic stress hormone) levels and low testosterone (an anabolic hormone) levels.

Conversely, in the anabolic state the body experiences muscle maintenance or growth, normal metabolic rates, and weight loss in the form of fat. The anabolic state can be characterized by relatively low cortisol levels and high testosterone levels.

after reading that article - i dont think i agree with him. but i looked further into it and found some information on foods. rather than putting myself into a catabolic state, i can probably satisfy his requirements by sticking to catabolic foods.
catabolic foods burn up more calories than they supply. for example :

a medium sized apple (which is catabolic), would provide an average of 85 calories, however your metabolism would require an additional 99 more calories to metabolise it.

so in writing this weeks shopping list, i will be purchasing the following :
fruit - limes, pineapple, grapes, apples, tomatoes
vegetables - celery, kumara, cucumber, brocolli, spinach and carrots
seafood and any white meat without fat.

YUM!
( ** all dietary information taken with a grain of salt mind. the only rule i really follow - put less in!)

mood : hungry!

exercise - week one - planner

2008-04-27T21:57:00.004+12:00

i've finished the last page of my latest training diary.
this is the book i write all my supplements, meals and training in which i have found helps immensely in changing my body.

instead of buying a new one, i'm going to record it all on my blog.
i used to train with angie and she would check it - this way, when i publish it online, theres a fair few people that will be looking at it. in a round about way, i think it might help. and i dont want to become completely obsessed with the last 25kg i want to get rid of, so i am mixing it up with everything else that goes on in my life, my head and on the internet.

so each sunday, i plan out the training week ahead.
this week is going to look like this :

sunday
- supposed to be cardio training (but something fun came up)
monday
- cardio training
tuesday
- 06:00 yoga at home / 16:30 geoff the trainers weights programme
wednesday
- 06:00 yoga at home /.. possibly .. 17:45 body combat
thursday
- 06:00 yoga at home / 17:30 weight session with geoff the trainer
friday
- day off!!
saturday
- cardio and stretching session

so lets see how this goes.
next planning session, the food session (as i have no food in my house and this is when it gets dangerous!)

mood : enthusiastic

the most important question you will ever ask yourself

2008-03-28T16:24:00.001+13:00

choo choo

2008-03-26T19:34:00.005+13:00

the herald has a story today about the possibility that the government will buy back new zealands rail and ferry services. there is a $172 million dividend that can be used but at this stage the government and toll holdings are nearly $200 million apart on the final price.

i want them to find that money.

aside from the fact that utilising more rail services is pertinant to the government working to reduce greenhouse gas ommissions, think of all the other benefits.
1. transporting freight - rail is far more efficient - except when you are waiting at the crossing for all those carriages and containers to pass.
2. additional train services - additional employees required (we already have low unemployment - but hey!)
3. allow other companies to use the tracks bringing a new industry and competition into the mix.

my number one is scenic rail.
new zealand has un-real scenery. no one disputes that.
the rail tracks go through places you cant see from the road. but there are only a very small number of train journeys you can take - and thats for tourism and general getting-there-ness!
there is the auckland to wellington (the overlander) service. which is overpriced.
there are 2 trips you can take in the south island. the tranzcoastal from picton to christchurch and the tranzalpine between christchurch and greymouth. i havent travelled by train in the south island yet - so i cant comment on those.

i'm seeing the money earned from these types of scenarios being invested back into the rail and ferry system. and high speed electric trains better be next!

horrible person

2008-03-25T05:45:00.000+13:00

i feel like a horrible horrible person.

yesterday i had to do something that i would rather i didnt have to do.
i had to tell one of my best friends that i wasnt in love with him.

telling another person that you dont feel the same way is devastating. and i know it is even more so for the person who has to hear it.
you think that telling him that i would always love him and still wanted to be the best of buds would make it easier. but no. its only easier for me. and still - not that much easier in the end!
dont you just wish that all breakups could by achieved by starting a fight and yelling and screaming? isnt verbal abuse just so much easier to give and take at a time like this?

so what now?
i need to give my friend time and space. i dont want to though! all i want is to hang out and laugh and talk just like nothing ever happened.
but thats going to have to wait a while. and i am going to have to get used to that fact.
and the fact that i feel like a horrible horrible person.

mood : melancholy

i will be half the woman i was

2008-03-03T11:38:00.019+13:00

last year, i was asked to write a little article on my effort to lose weight. it was for one of new zealands fitness magazines but i am unsure as to why it was not published in the end.
over a two year period, i lost approximately 60 kilograms.
i'm still working towards my goal - 2 months in argentina eating steak and drinking red wine didnt help - and when i reach my goal, i will be half the woman i was.

i had always accepted that i would be one of the bigger girls.

the only time i ever thought that i could – and would be slim – was when i found out that i had polycystic kidney disease and i ended up in hospital.

after i got better and learnt to manage my illness, the weight piled back on.

i have been your classic yo-yo try-all-the-fads dieter.
i went to weight watchers – lost about 10 kgs and then gained about 20.
i went to jenny craig – lost about 22 kgs and then gained about 30.

back in june 2004 - i weighed alot. the only time I remember weighing myself, i was 147kg.
i know i got bigger after this, but i didn’t get on the scales again.
then at the end of that year, dan broke off our relationship and i realised exactly what i had done to myself.

i reduced my portion sizes, but started skipping meals. i was taking a thermogenic product as well as starting to walk to work and short distances.. not having a car helped.
i quickly understood that work was in walking distance and there were other ways of getting around however it was very easy to get disheartened as any exercise was really hard work and i was the only person that could motivate me.

and then people started to notice the changes in me.
and finally i started to notice the changes in me – more energy and a much happier outlook on life.

by may 2006, i had moved out of our old house and into a flatting situation and was making the most of only having to cook for one. this was good for me and i continued trying to lose weight by myself until the beginning 2007 when i realised that i was actually starting to put it back on again. at this stage, i was around 123kg. i had lost 24 kg (that i will admit - theres an ish in here of 10kg).

nell introduced me to kickboxing at a gym in town. i started attending the class 3 times a week and increased the other exercise that I was doing. i met angie matthews through the kickboxing class – and i found the motivation, support and knowledge that i needed to continue.

one of the first lessons that i learnt from angie is that good nutrition and supplementation is 80% of what you need to continue to lose weight.
in order to get the most from your supplementation, you must take the best supplements you can get your hands on. angie asked me to start keeping a food diary to understand what I was eating and doing each day. after completing this for a week or so, angie introduced me to GNLD.
now i'm not writing this blog to sell anything.
i just wanted to say how i deal with the fact that i have always been a big girl.

one of my oldest friends had the following things to say:
I’ve known Tara for more than 12 years.
Tara is the most intellectual, generous and thoughtful person I know.
I have always known Tara to be a confident person in both her personal and professional life. It was not until Tara starting losing the weight did I really notice how much happier inside she is.
I have seen Tara put herself through a staunch series of diet and exercise. And with the positive support of Angie and all her friends, Tara is achieving her goals.
I know that this is only the beginning for Tara. Now that she has changed her lifestyle there is no looking back. She will never be a yoyo again.
Tara has worked really hard and I am so proud of her and what she has achieved.

those jeans, i have still kept them.
those jeans, i can now fit both legs in where one went before.
those jeans, i jump up and down and they fall off.

and from here?
after losing weight in peru and bolivia, i put some on in argentina. but i am not too worried about that.
you need support. its a fact. i have joined weight watchers again with emma and her sister mandy. i have talked dan into joining les mills gym with me and i'm excited about their body combat classes. i even bought an exercycle for home and i still have my yoga dvds.
and i keep a food and training diary.
other than that, the rules are simple :
1. put less in. eat about 6 times a day but dont eat more than you need.
2. exercise more than you want to. my office is on the 5th floor. i hate the stairs but theres 100 of them and now i dont notice it until the 4th floor. soon it will be the 5th.
3. i'm not on a diet. i am in control of what i eat.
4. every day i tell myself i am fabulous. if i dont believe it, it doesnt matter what i look like - no one else will either.

its ongoing. some days are easier than others.
and i have my friends to thank for a lot.

photo published !!

2007-11-11T10:29:00.000+13:00

i got a photo published - albeit online.

schamp have used a shot i took on tamaki drive on nells citizenship celebration night.

just as well i wasnt quite drunk yet.

http://www.schmap.com/auckland/tours_tour1/#p=29675&i=29675_2.jpg

whats the deal with poker

2007-11-08T07:16:00.000+13:00

muwahahaha - i am so sad i am laughing at my own puns.
but after spending quite a bit of time waiting around for buses in the last few days, i have found an interesting way to amuse myself. i have become addicted to poker.
before i left home for south america, we played a little at a dinner party at my house. cossie tried to teach us betting and texas holdem.
then when we got to the secret garden at cotopaxi, the guys in our group played a lot. nell got into it too.
in cusco, we met stewart - who after being on his honeymoon for a year was using ladbrokes tournaments as time to get away.
now its me thats hooked ! cossie is teaching me more and more via gmail chat and is going to send me links to videos on youtube.
at least on facebook i am only playing with points. god help me when it becomes real money.

half time score

2007-11-07T05:53:00.000+13:00

i cant believe that i am already basically half way through my south america trip.
time seems to fly when you are having fun.
and even on the times when you are not.

i have come to a couple of conclusions (and seeing i am stuck in uyuni, bolivia for an extra day) i thought it was time i wrote them down.

1. it is possible for a week (a day, a month) to be too touristy.
the thing about travelling is that you dont really give yourself a weekend. i try so hard to make each day worth it, and as i find i wish i had more time in each country, i dont really seem to take a rest. thats not good - i have started to take things a little more slowly so that i can appreciate what i am doing each day.

2. travelling 24/7 with a friend IS HARD. dont let anyone tell you any different. dont get me wrong, i love nell to pieces, but spending all day and all night together does get a little strained. i have decided to try and live by the rule - dont sweat the small stuff. sometimes you have to compromise and other times you just have to shut the hell up.

3. what did travellers do before facebook ?
everyone we meet (well just about) - ends a hangout period with the sentence ¨facebook me¨ or ¨i will facebook you¨ and its actually kinda helpful.
you do meet the same people again and again on the gringo trail and getting hints and helps about places to go and not to go is awesome. plus you can read what your travelmates are telling other peeps too.

my volkswagen rocks your effing socks .. b*tch!

2007-07-05T20:05:00.001+12:00

i drive a MkIII Volkswagen Golf GTI and she is the apple of my eye.
i have owned her for nearly 2 years now - and i've done a little bit but nothing major to the engine.

i took my friend andy out to meet my friend leigh last night and they stood around looking at the engine and making a list. now some of it i understood and some of it just went right over the top of my head.

the boys are making a list for me - its a little different to the list that i had, so we will see which items are necessary and which ones are nice-to-haves.

my requirements are :
i want some more power and acceleration before 3500-4000rpm.
i want smoother acceleration - better response.
i would really like another 50bhp.
shes done 180,000ks and i would like another 100,000 at least from her.

my list was :
gearbox rebuild - fix 2nd gear synchro
extractors
cold air intake
port and polish the head

whats on the boys list :

gasket set for gearbox
clutch and flywheel
2nd gear synchro ring and hub
reverse gear
bearings
limited slip diff (bolt kit for diff)
cams
adjustable cam gears
front brakes and calipers (i would really like some AP racing brakes)
wheel bearings
front hubs
springs and shocks
rear sway bar
coldair intake
extractors
blueprint manifolds
tinted windows

nell made a comment on my blog about BMW driver training - can she have handlebars?
i think she might need more than that !

MAYHEM in 35 days !

2007-07-01T13:36:00.000+12:00

its 35 days til we leave !!!

the time has just flown by. at almost this time exactly in 5 weeks, nell and i will be taking off on another chapter in the adventures of the International Women of Mayhem.

i'm in my office today finalising the last of the accommodation bookings, updating the trip budget and packing up my bookcase. its all too exciting for words but i shall try to convey exactly what i am thinking right now.

london and yorkshire are going to be cool as i get to see my brother and meet the new girl in his life. we also get to take mom under the channel to paris for her birthday.

the united states will be a blast. we'll get to run through central park as well as enjoy a real new york show. then after mercilessly teasing andrew (junior) we'll cut a swathe through vegas and new orleans and onto miami. we're both pretty good at being miami (sun, diving and drinking)

then the adventure starts ! the real challenges will be the language and roughing it a little.

but you know what i decided tonight ?
part of growing up is growing out - growing in experience, sensibility, knowledge of the world and knowledge of self - and exactly what i am capable of is only going to increase.

AUTOBOTS .. roll out

2007-06-29T17:36:00.000+12:00

last night nell, marcia, jontie, cossie, maresa, dan and i went to the mega screen at queen street to watch the Transformers movie.

i said it last night and i'll say it again - TRANSFORMERS ROCKS !

1. its funny
2. the storyline aint too bad
3. the acting aint too bad
4. the animation blew my mind
5. the whole theatre was laughing
6. i was cheering
7. optimus prime says "autobots - roll out"
8. ok - the animation kicked ass
9. i'm going again

transformers on wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformers_%28film%29

BMW - look out!

2007-06-28T09:16:00.000+12:00

i've signed up to complete the level 1 BMW driver training course.
its at the pukekohe race course on the 9th of july. the driver trainer is a friend of a friend so i'm hoping i might get an extra lap or two - and that i wont get my ass kicked if i write off one of their cars. woo hoo !!

This programme is modelled directly on BMW’s International Driver Training schools, and offers participants an active and dynamic drive experience that provides driving pleasure, education and fun in a controlled and safe environment. It includes both theory and practical sessions, and a certificate of accomplishment is issued at the successful completion of the course.

The Advanced I course prepares you for typical situations and hazards in urban traffic. Teaching the basic requirements for optimum control of the vehicle, realistic self – assessment and practical experience on traffic and hazard situations at 50 to 60 km/h. A combination of driving manoeuvres are practised in the slalom against the clock and you will explore the optimum line around bends as you are guided by a pace car around the track.

BMW Driver Training uses a fleet of five Z4’s and five 130i M Sport cars.

The venue is the recently upgraded racetrack at Pukekohe south of Auckland. Your host for the day will be senior driving instructor Mike Eady, one of New Zealand's most experienced professional driver trainers.

knowing your sagittarius

2007-06-21T23:41:00.000+12:00

SAGITTARIUS:
November 22nd - December 21st

If you are in love with a Sagittarius woman, give her freedom and honesty. This is one honey who will resist any and all efforts to be pinned down too definitively and you would do best to understand this from the start. She needs plenty of rope.
well ...yes and no.
this sagittarius girl likes her freedom but she doesnt mind a bit of committment - just when shes ready. and as for the pinning down and the rope - yes please!

Don't expect a quick commitment here either; this lover is fairly independent and enjoys her own company. You will never be bored with a Sagittarius partner though. This individual is interested in almost everything and delights in sharing knowledge with you and everyone else.
yup that part is definitely all me.

"Flirt" could be a middle name here. Jealousy is a no-no as the exchange of conversation is nearly as important as air and food to this person.
flirt should be my first name.
i'd flirt with a power pole if it would respond and flirt back.
i like naughty conversation as well as day to day chats about anything.
i dont dig jealousy at all. its very unattractive.

Friendly as a new puppy, she meanders about collecting and dispensing data with all comers. Physical fitness is also important here. Often possessing natural athletic abilities, she can be found hiking, biking, running, or skiing, and will want you to keep right up alongside. You will have many joint memories of wilderness treks, roaring campfires, and starlit nights. Adventuresomeness is quite near the top of the qualities you must have to be of any interest to this enterprising individual. The meek need not apply.
adventurous - yes.
naturally athletic - i dont think so.
until i starting diving there wasnt really anything athletic that i was especially good at. i like yoga and kickboxing though.
the outdoors - yup. a bit of camping, watersports, i like to get outside my comfort zone except when it comes to heights. **shudder**

Your main challenges here may be learning to live with the occasional disorganization of this busy soul and the directness which could be construed as lack of tact.
i wish i was as organised as i would like to be - or as i think i am !
i like to think i am blunt too - rather than tactless. basically i say what i think. say what i mean and mean what i say. if you get offended then thats your problem.

You must understand that this person abhors dishonesty and is quite incapable of participating in it.
if theres one thing that my friends know about me - dont lie to me.
tell me the honest hurting truth but dont cover anything up or even worse, try and lie by ommission.

Too many concurrent projects can scatter her energy but your encouragement may be all that's needed to keep the number reasonable.

You have found a dynamic friend. Enjoy the wit and repartee, explore new worlds and lost civilizations together and talk until the wee hours of the morning.

With this individual, you can have fun!
http://www.astrology.com.au/12signs/sagittarius.asp

boarding in 5 mins

2007-06-20T06:12:00.000+12:00

the departures board has been telling me that my flight will be boarding in 5 minutes for nearly 40 minutes now.
today is going to be a very long day.
up at 2:30 for a flight to melbourne. application workshops all day today - finishing around 6pm melbourne time (thats 8pm NZST).
same again for thursday and friday and then last flight home friday.

big sleep saturday!
thought i might go and dance my feet off at the our house party on saturday night.

possibly a new tattoo on sunday?
any able to translate some english into maori for me?

growing up in new zealand

2007-06-14T17:30:00.000+12:00

this little mail has been doing the rounds.
but for any one who grew up in new zealand it should bring back awesome memories of your childhood.

I'm talking about hide and seek/spotlight in the park.
The corner dairy, hopscotch, four square, go carts, cricket in front of the garbage bin and inviting everyone on your street to join in, skipping (double dutch), gutterball, handstands, elastics, bullrush, catch and kiss, footy on the best lawn in the street, slip'n'slides, the trampoline with water on it (or a sprinkler under it), hula hoops, jumping in puddles with gumboots on, mud pies and building dams in the gutter.
The smell of the sun and fresh cut grass.

'Big bubbles no troubles' with Hubba Bubba bubble gum.
A topsy. Mr Whippy cones on a warm summer night after you've chased him round the block.
20 cents worth of mixed lollies lasted a week and pretending to smoke "smokes" (the lollies) was really cool!..
A dollars' worth of chips from the corner take-away fed two people (AND the sauce was free!!).

Being upset when you botched putting on the temporary tattoo from the bubblegum packet, but still wearing it proudly.

Watching Saturday morning cartoons: 'The Smurfs', 'AstroBoy', 'He-man', 'Captain Caveman', 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles', 'Jem' (truly outrageous!!), 'Super d', and 'Heeeey heeeeey heeeeeeey it's faaaaaaat Albert'.
Or staying up late and sneaking a look at the "AO" on the second telly, being amazed when you watched TV right up until the 'Goodnight Kiwi!'

When After School with Jason Gunn & Thingie had a cult following and What Now was on Saturday mornings!
When around the corner seemed a long way, and going into town seemed like going somewhere.
Where running away meant you did laps of the block because you weren't allowed to cross the road??
A million mozzie bites, wasp and bee stings (stee bings!).

Sticky fingers, goodies & baddies, cops and robbers, cowboys and indians, riding bikes til the streetlights came on and catching tadpoles in horse troughs.

Going down to the school swimming pool when you didn't have a key and your friends letting you in, drawing all over the road and driveway with chalk.
Climbing trees and building huts out of every sheet your mum had in the cupboard (and never putting them back folded). Walking to school in bare feet, no matter what the weather.

When writing 'I love....? on your pencil case, really did mean it was true love.
"he loves me? he loves me not?" and daisy chains on the front lawn.
Stealing other people's flowers from their gardens and then selling them back to them...

Running till you were out of breath.
Laughing so hard that your stomach hurt.
Pitching the tent in the back/front yard (and never being able to find all the pegs).
Jumping on the bed. Singing into your hair brush in front of the mirror, making mix tapes...

Sleep overs and ghosts stories with the next door neighbours.
Pillowfights, spinning round, getting dizzy and falling down was cause for the giggles.
The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team.
Water balloons were the ultimate weapon.
Weetbix cards pegged on the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle. Collecting WWF and garbage pail kids cards.
Eating raw jelly and raro, making homemade lemonade and sucking on a Rad, a traffic light popsicle, or a Paddle Pop... blurple, yollange and prink!

You knew everyone in your street - and so did your parents!
It wasn't odd to have two or three "best friends" and you would ask them by sending a note asking them to be your best friend.

You didn't sleep a wink on Christmas eve and tried (and failed) to wait up for the tooth fairy.
When nobody owned a pure-bred dog.
When 50c was decent pocket money. When you'd reach into a muddy gutter for 10c.

When nearly everyone's mum was there when the kids got home from school.
It was magic when dad would "remove" his thumb.

When it was considered a great privilege to be taken out to dinner at the local Chinese restaurant (or Cobb'n'Co.) with your family.

When any parent could discipline any kid, or feed her or use him to carry groceries and nobody, not even the kid, thought a thing of it.

When being sent to the principal's office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited a misbehaving student at home.

Basically, we were in fear for our lives, but it wasn't because of drive-by shootings, drugs, gangs, etc.
Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat! Some of us are still afraid of them!!!

Remember when decisions were made by going "eeny-meeny-miney-mo" or dib dib's-scissors, paper, rock.
"Race issue" meant arguing about who ran the fastest.
Money issues were handled by whoever was the banker in Monopoly.

Terrorism was when the older kids were at the end of your street with pea-shooters waiting to ambush you, or the neighbourhood rottie chased you up a tree!

The worst thing you could catch from the opposite gender was boy/girl germs, and the worst thing in your day was having to sit next to one.

Where bluelight disco's were the equivalent to a Rave, and asking a boy out meant writing a 'polite' note getting them to tick 'yes' or 'no'.
When there was always that one 'HOT' guy/girl.

Having a weapon in school meant being caught with a slingshot.
Your biggest danger at school was accidentally walking through the middle of a heated game of "brandies".

Birthday beats meant you didn't want to go to school on your birthday!

Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better.
Taking drugs meant scoffing orange-flavoured chewable vitamin C's, or swallowing half a Panadol.
Ice cream was considered a basic food group. Going to the beach and catching a wave was a dream come true.
Boogie boarding in the white wash made you the next Kelly Slater.
Abilities were discovered because of a "double- dare".

Older siblings were the worst tormentors, but also the fiercest protectors.

how i handle stress

2007-06-10T11:19:00.000+12:00

1. stuff tiny mashmallows up my nose and try and sneeze them out.
i hate marshmallows so its seems significant punishment for their existence.

2. use my mastercard to pay my visa bill.
last time i did this i paid my visa off - so this is no longer an option - bugger (this was one of my favourites).

3. pop some popcorn without the lid on.

4. when someone tells me to "have a nice day" - i tell them i have other plans.

5. i make lists - of things i have already done.

6. i dance naked in front of my cat.

7. i start little rumors to see how much they change by the time they get back to me.

dumtie dumtie do

2007-06-08T23:03:00.000+12:00

i said i wouldnt.

but i did.

i signed up with dive! tutukaka to complete my PADI divemaster certification next year.

i think part of it is the avoidance of work after we return - for as long as possible!
post cossie and maresas wedding in matakana, me and ryan (my pack and assorted other bags that i will be living out of) plus all my dive gear and my cameras etc will migrate north to tutukaka to live in an as yet undisclosed location for the next 4-6 weeks.
dive! tutukaka like to run an pretty intensive program apparently but the best bestest besterer news of all is that both anna and andrew will be working up there as instructors. anna took me for my advanced, wreck and deep dive specialties and andrew took my rescue and digital photography.

so .. 4 weeks diving. out at the knights - boat fees included - in the middle of summer. wicked!

So, what is it?

The PADI Divemaster course is the first step to being a dive professional. It expands your knowledge past that of any previous course enabling you to gain valuable experience and work in the world of diving. As a professional member of PADI you will be able to gain access to some great benefits, including their on-line job network, professional publications such as The Undersea Journal and special rates on materials purchased directly from PADI.

What does the course involve?

The course runs over an intensive 4-week period and the schedule will depend on you and your instructor needs, local logistics and course requirements. The course consists of three modules:

• Knowledge Development

Through independent study, videos and Instructor lectures, you will cover 12 topics in the knowledge development module and then complete 8 Divemaster exams (75% pass rate or makeup).

• Water Skills & Stamina

The Water Skills and Stamina module will develop and evaluate your overall watermanship skills. Not only will you complete several timed swimming exercises but also brush up on your rescue skills.

• Practical Application

This allows you to learn and practice divemaster skills by applying what you've learnt from the Knowledge Development and Water Skills & Stamina modules. You will complete exercises such as mapping, underwater problem solving and managing a dive accident scenario.

When all the required training exercises have been completed you will then have a chance to develop and practice divemaster skills with actual students and divers (under Instructor supervision). During your internship with us you will have training in how to assist an Instructor during training activities and you will be able to assume appropriate responsibilities that benefit the welfare of other divers.

surely there are more important things to worry about

2007-05-30T16:06:00.000+12:00

everyone knows the burger king bikini girls are stupid.
the ads are dumb and they have nothing to do with eating greasy grilled burgers loaded with carbohydrates and fat.
no you will not look like a burger king bikini girl if you eat this food.
neither will you be fabulous and have a lot of friends.

but to complain that your kids shouldnt have to watch them?
some weiner lodged a complaint with the broadcasting standards authority as their child saw it during home and away. someone should call child services on their ass for letting their kids watch home and away for starters.

get your kids asses off the couch and down to the tennis court. or football field. whatever.

new zealanders have differing views on the subject but there seems to be more people up and arms against the ads. the new zealand herald ran a submit your views link - interesting. i wonder if these moms are the same ones that let their 7 year olds walk around looking like britney spears but wont turn off the tv.

the ads probably would have lasted longer here - and had a better response by males and females - if they were slightly more humourous like the tui ads.
america gets the burger king king. we're a lot more funny than that. so come on ad men (yes we know youre all men) give us something tongue in cheek. pardon the pun.

cant help myself

2007-05-28T09:50:00.000+12:00

as you may have read in previous posts - i fancy myself as an amateur photographer and have been spending a lot of time working on the composition of my images.

i selected to complete the PADI underwater photography speciality as i was extremely lucky to be able to complete it with andrew simpson. andrew (affectionately known as great white) is one of my instructors from dive hq in greenlane and hes rather a good photographer too.
i have a casio z-1000 which is great for learning on and now i have the marine housing for it, a lot of my dives are photographic dives.

but i still want more.

i spent a few hours yesterday doing research and having a look at a basic SLR camera. the one i have decided that i quite like is the nikon D80.

this is oxygen. it will help you. may i give it to you?

2007-05-26T20:21:00.000+12:00

i'm a PADI rescue diver!!
today, i passed my certification with the final open water dive.

this morning nell picked me up about 7:15 and we went down to dive hq in greenlane.
andrew is our instructor and we are off to matheson's bay, about an hour north of auckland.

we completed the school and pool sessions over the past 2 weeks.we learn the theory in class with videos and knowledge reviews (and loads of discussion and stories) and then we complete exercises and demonstrations in the pool.

i'd already completed dive one back in march but i couldnt finish the course then due to travelling for work but it was fun to repeat mask removals and swapping regulators and that kind of thing.
basically the rescue diver course is about self rescue, diver stress, rescue techniques in and out of the water, missing diver searches, surfacing unconscious divers and all the reporting and management that comes in an emergency.
i totally recommend this course as well as emergency first response and secondary care!

trying to find a happy medium

2007-04-30T19:56:00.000+12:00

is it this way with everyone?
there seems to be a hundred and one sayings - but right now "it never rains til it pours" seems appropriate.

for a lot of last year, i felt like i was in go slow mode. there was a bit to do - kickboxing, yoga, work and friends. but i didnt feel like my life was full - like i really had a good full life.
it didnt really bug me too much. i was still happy. i just seemed to have a bit more free time than some of my friends. now i understand that most of that was my making too.

after i went to fiji in october, things really changed a lot.
i started travelling to melbourne for work and i got into diving. around christmas time, i was spending most of my weekends out of town and then after new year, i had a bit of a disagreement with my trainer and we broke up.
i thought that this would mean that i had a bit more time to myself - not as many sessions at the gym each week, that sort of thing. but as it turns out, i was wrong.

this year i cant seem to find a minute to myself!
i guess i wanted it to be this way - i wanted to be busy and not sitting around the house wondering what to do next. and now i have that - i'm thinking of another saying "the grass is always greener on the other side"

when i worked for vodafone, there was quite a lot of corporate speak about trying to educate people about a work-life balance. at that time, i thought it was bollocks and was corporate code for working us too hard and then trying to make sure we took responsibility for the repercussions in our own lives. now i am not so sure that it was all bollocks.

i definitely think that i need to take responsibility for my calendar. and for saying no to some of the trips that work might want me to do. and to my friends who invite me out. after all - its ok to say no sometimes.

the crux of it is - i did get a cold after fiji. and possibly tonsilitis.
and its my own fault for not taking better care of myself.

thoughts of the day

2007-04-25T00:08:00.000+12:00

1. Save the whales. Collect the whole set.

2. A day without sunshine is like......night.

3. On the other hand, you have different fingers.

4. Remember, half the people you know are below average.

5. He who laughs last thinks slowest.

6. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

7. Support bacteria. They're the only culture some people have.

8. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

9. How many of you believe in psycho kinesics?...Raise my hand.

10. OK...so what's the speed of dark?

11. When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

12. Everyone has a photographic memory. Some just don't have film.

13. How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?

14. What happens if you get scared half to death twice?

15. I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.

16. Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?

17. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering what happened.

18. Just remember --- if the world didn't suck, we would all fall off.

19. Light travels faster than sound. That is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

20. Life isn't like a box of chocolates. It's more like a jar of jalapenos. What you do today might burn your ass tomorrow.

the world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page -- st. augustine

2007-04-13T00:51:00.000+12:00

i've just come back from holiday and i already need to take another.
i got home from fiji on sunday (monday was also a public holiday thanks to easter) and today is my first day of work.

its not only going back to work that gets me down.
its the difference in weather between new zealand and fiji. and its only the end of summer/beginning of autumn.

fiji was 32-34 with 29 degree water.

its 14 degrees in auckland at the moment!

oh well ... i saw a turtle or two. and a shark.

octopus resort, yasawa islands - march 2007

but i wouldnt be surprised if i catch a cold!

an orange a day keeps the dentist away

2007-03-19T09:22:00.000+12:00

nell and i went diving again this weekend on the pacific hideaway.

awesome crew (we love you denise and mark and can we please have lamb shanks for dinner next month!?) and wonderful diving.

the dive club challenge this month is a photograph of a diver eating underwater.
so we went one better with a video.

and because i have recently become addicted to you tube, please find said video embedded above.

you tube .. what a waste of ....

2007-03-14T11:44:00.000+13:00

my time! oh my goodness - where did those 3 hours go?
this is my favourite video on youtube right now - a spoof trailer for "must love jaws".
they played it at the v 24 movie marathon in october last year. i'm so glad i finally found it!

the flashpackers

2007-03-13T12:24:00.000+13:00

i started another blog. http://theflashpackers.blogspot.com.

i have a thing for lists. and being organised. although some times you wouldnt know it.

i was getting a little nervous that i wasnt really prepared.

all rigged up and no where to go

2007-03-07T13:30:00.000+13:00

my marine housing arrived at my hotel in melbourne last night - for my new casio ex1000.

i ordered it from digitaldiver.com.au and it was delivered basically the next day.

i'm so excited! as soon as i get home to new zealand next wednesday (aside from having a little sleep), i'm off to get a new wet suit and check out a regulator and an alternate air source and then we are going back to the poor knights for a liveaboard trip.

nell and i are going to make a bucket load of cash selling our awesome photos. as she is the divemaster trainee, she is going to be the spotter. i cant wait!

know who you are, know where you're from, know where you're going

2007-02-26T16:14:00.000+13:00

'kE-(")wE - : a native or resident of New Zealand -- used as a nickname

my mom is going to kick my ass when she sees what i have done to myself. but i dont care. i'm kinda used to it. she squealed and fake vomited when she saw i had got my nose pierced. she fake fainted when she noticed i had got my tongue pierced. shes going to have to come up with something pretty impressive this time around. oh yes.
i got my first tattoo. and i say first as it is my intention to have another one done. but thats going to happen a little later - when i shrink some more and when i work out where i am going to put it.
this one was actually kind of easy. i found this logo (yes its a logo but i dont care) on the web and just knew it was right for me. and then i found a place on my body where i can hide it if i want to or show it off if i want to.
and its about me, and my country and who i am and who i want to me.
so like my kiwi girl tshirt says - know who you are, know where youre from and know where youre going.

a beer festival with no beer?

2007-02-25T12:12:00.000+13:00

slim dusty - 1957 - the pub with no beer
It's lonesome away from your kindred and all
By the campfire at night where the wild dingos call
But there's nothin' so lonesome, so dull or so drear
Than to stand in the bar of a pub with no beer

the new zealand beer festival was on in auckland yesterday and i thought it was really well organised. until about 5:30pm when they started to run out of beer!

perving at polo players on ponies

2007-02-01T09:43:00.001+13:00

my birthday - 2007 - is going to be spent in argentina.
to me that means watching polo, riding ponies, eating steak and drinking a huge bottle of mendoza red!

nell and i are off on our world tour this year.
setting off at the end of july (after cossies 30th), we will be spending a couple of days in singapore and then flying to london for a week or so.
we will go on up to yorkshire to visit martin and sam from the super saturday fiji crew. and hopefully somewhere like the lake district. i have only been in london and it was a quick trip. there may even be a chance to attend a beach rugby tournament in venice.
after we leave europe, its off to america. 5 days in new york, an excursion to boston, then down to vegas and miami. diving in miami looks amazing so we should get the chance to do that.
from miami, we go into central america. this one needs a little more planning but we should have a couple of weeks there.
south america was our original intention - but as you can see, the itinerary has grown somewhat!
colombia, bolivia, ecuador, peru, chile and argentina. and it doesnt look like we will get more than a few weeks in each country.
christmas will be spent in south africa. a fortnight or so in namibia is also on the cards! and we will be able to celebrate nells dads 70th birthday with him.

wow! and we'll be home at the beginning of february 2008.

two very good reasons to miss tv ....

2007-01-26T16:21:00.000+13:00

as long as you have a DVD player. why wait 7 days for the next episode when you can get at least 12 episodes to watch all at once ..... ?

why would i live anywhere else

2007-01-26T07:41:00.000+13:00

welcome to new zealand - at christmas.
the pohutukawa are in full bloom, the sky is clear and the breeze is warm.

we are having more subtropical (yes -rain) weather around december and january, and there has been a fair amount of bitching about the weather around home lately. still, it wouldnt be christmas if there was not the opportunity to have a christmas breakfast bbq, to don our shorts and tshirts and have a little game of backyard cricket. with days like this - why would i want to live anywhere else in the world?
i know, i know, any kiwi reading this will have some comment to make about our weather. probably something to do with the fact that december was the wettest and coldest on record. so what!!! the weather is the one thing that we cant do anything about - so why sit around complaining about it? do something else. i think that the seasons are changing - summer is arriving a little later but the good news - is it stays around a little longer too.

i'm not so bad at this

2006-12-18T16:58:00.000+13:00

this photo is of a blue eyed blennie and it was taken by me at the poor knights - one of the best dive spots in new zealand and quite possibly the world. i took this shot on the first dive i took a camera with me. i'm pretty pleased with it actually - so i just bought a new camera and am now on the lookout for a marine housing.

i could stay here forever

2006-12-14T16:41:00.000+13:00

teleworking - noun
employment at home while communicating with the workplace by phone or fax or modem [syn: telecommuting]

so the company that i am working for at the moment actually encourages us to work from home around 3 days a week. no longer do i feel like i am on the clock. or that my boss wants to keep an eye on me and my screen and everything i look at on the internet.
and i dont have to explain to the guy next to me why i look at pictures of vin diesel all day. i dont - really. but i could. he is going to be my husband. well hes first on the list.
but anyway, thats not the point i was going to make.

so i'm sitting here in my office at home - working away. and i got a little bored. still in holiday mode i think. but i was wondering, if i dont have to go to work to go to work, how much of my life can i run from this little corner of the world.

well i know i can order pizza - so takeaways are sorted.
the supermarket will deliver my groceries.
i can do all of my banking online - which is good when the money comes in.
i can buy my clothes and shoes and handbags from all over the world (although if i dont leave home, do i really need to be fashionable? - ah yes! because people will still come and visit me. i hope).
the dvd movies i love to watch are sent to my letterbox.
ah huh - if i moved my letterbox to my door, then i wouldnt have to go up the drive!
is there anything else that i actually need?

well yes. of course there is. sunshine cant be delivered in a box and neither can fun and experience. so i'm going to quit thinking of ways to stay inside and get out there ... now

buy me more - love you more

2006-11-29T12:28:00.000+13:00

Boing Boing: A Directory of Wonderful Things -
Why it's hard to buy gifts for friends

apparently, the more you know someone, the harder it is to buy presents for them. the december edition of the journal of consumer research suggests that familiarity is a killer.
reading this article got me to thinking about my recent birthday.
there seems to be an increasing trend of less gift giving. even by those considered to be a part of the extreme inner circle.
maybe its harder. i dont think so. i think its just laziness on behalf of my males who think they can get away with a smile and a wink.

i made a list .. those i would have expected something from and how they did;

mom.
usual behaviour - something i have lusted after before the day and then flowers/card/song on the day.
this year - check.
present provided before birthday, song on day.

dad.
usual behaviour - perhaps a card. phone call.
this year - check.
no card but phone call received.

brother ewi.
usual behaviour - phone call or text. present arrives sometime (he lives in london so time factor added in).
this year - check.
text (so i called him) and present in the mail.

brother jazel.
usual behaviour - phone call or text. sometimes a card.
this year - check-ish.
simple text. no response to my response. christmas present decreasing in size daily.

man i am dating
usual behaviour - phone call. also has previously provided wonderful presents i may or may not have hinted at. received birthday present that took a lot of thought and was personally tailored to his current object of enjoyment ('65 impala).
this year - FAIL.
phone call in the morning. good. turned up to evening drinks. good. no present. apparently he got me what i asked for. seems that was nothing.

best friend - sarah
usual behaviour - text, email, phone call.
this year - check +
phone call, text and present. very very good. gets extra large present for christmas.

friend - nell
usual behaviour - (bearing in mind we are new-ish friends) - phone call, in person greeting, present.
this year - check ++
early present, greeting in person, bottle of veuve clicquot. gets extra large present for christmas.

moral of this story.
yes, how much i love you is based on what you buy me for my birthday.

i always get what i want

2006-11-22T17:18:00.000+13:00

you can go a long way with a smile. you can go a lot farther with a smile and a gun.

i've been thinking about how i usually (lets not be totally fat headed) get what i want.
and its not always through asking straight out. and i dont bully everyone into giving into my wishes.

its just somehow, i usually end up with pretty much exactly what i wanted.

staring out of windows

2006-11-21T17:08:00.000+13:00

'i finally figured out the only reason to be alive is to enjoy it'
-- rita mae brown

i have a new job.

well not a new new job.

i have been in my new job for about 6 months now. but i was in my old job 5 and a half years.
so you can see why this one is new.
not only is it new, but if my old job had a stress and responsibility level of 6 then this one is about a 0. a big fat round zero.
and its not for lack of trying. but hey - i am a contractor now. and its not really my responsibility to find the work - just to do it when it comes in.
the money is good, although some days i am really tempted to call in sick and race off all over the country spending my squillions on doing really cool things, and a lot of shopping!

speaking of doing really cool things .......
i learnt to dive. yes, me.
the original whale. oh yea.
at one stage (my near heaviest) i was 147kg. i say near heaviest as i stopped weighing myself after that. but i seem to remember buying another pair of trousers. a larger pair.
my friend nell. shes the greatest. shes been instrumental in getting me off the couch and out of the house this year. and guess what. now i weigh 95kgs. and i'm closer to my goal than my starting weight. go me!
so anyways, back to the cool stuff. we went to fiji. for a week. and it was warm and sunny.
i was petrified. actually of more than just the diving. but i did it. and it was amazing. we wanted to go back about a month later. but we were too scared to ask our bosses straight out for more time off (shes a contractor too - for the same company). and the bloody fijian military thought they might kick up a stink and it looked like they were going to have a coup.

so the moral of this story?
dont work for a huge corporate and get paid like a minion.
leave. become self employed. make loads of money.
and travel the world freaking yourself out and doing things you never thought you would.

believe me, its more fun than staring out a window.

breathing underwater isnt just for fish

2006-11-02T11:24:00.000+13:00

div‧er [dahy-ver] –noun
1. a person or thing that dives
2. a person who makes a business of diving, as for pearl oysters or to examine sunken vessels
3. any of several birds noted for their skill in diving
4. British. a loon

humans are not supposed to breathe underwater. but surprisingly, it actually feels pretty natural.

my friend nell and i decided that we wanted to go to fiji, so once the school holidays had ended and there were some reasonably priced flights available, we booked our tickets and secured a spot at the octopus resort on waya island. one of the main reasons for us choosing octopus was that nell had managed to talk me into agreeing to do my PADI open water course.
even before i left home, i knew that i was scared. of learning to dive. of diving in general.
i like the sea but i'm also scared of heights. and spiders. and snakes. and pretty much anything that i dont know anything about. so thats quite a lot.
i had already told lots of people that the reason i was going to fiji was to do my PADI open water course. so i could hardly freak out and not do it now - could i?
can you imagine the hassle my friends would give me? well maybe you could. but you havent met my friends. so imagine what you will and times it by 10 .. thousand.

being scared of lots of things means that i have had a bit of time to think about how to still do the things that are exciting and cool. the way i normally get around my fears is to try and imagine that they dont exist and just push myself.
just get on the plane. just get on the boat. just climb that step. that kind of thing.
dont think about it and before i know it, i'm doing it!

before we left new zealand, there were rumblings of a fijian military coup. even our ten foot tall and bulletproof prime minister helen clark was asking for additional security around her attendance at the pacific forum. we kept an eye on the ministry of foregn affairs safe travel website and decided we werent going to be in any danger. bugger.
it could have been a very good excuse for me not to complete this trip and to be able to delay this diving thing for a while. but alas, no travel advisories were posted and realistically - if things got rough - they would probably target the forum first!

so we jump on our air pacific flight, shoot over to nadi and step out into warmth!!
leaving new zealand in october for fiji is something that i would recommend to all kiwis. go and get some sun!
even though it was overcast in nadi, and slightly moist and very humid, it felt so good. we stripped off any jerseys we had and proceeded to the hotel we had booked for the night to change into our swimsuits and jump straight in the pool. even the water was warm! from there, enough time to get changed and mosey on down the road to ed's bar for dinner ($50.00 for 3 courses + drinks for the two of us) and lots of beers and games of pool.

the next morning, we were collected by the shuttle bus for the resort at 8:30. they drove us over to lautoka to the transfers office. but we had to wait for nearly 2 hours.
now lautoka is an interesting town. be warned, if someone asks you for your name and then pulls out a package of sticks, it will cost you. this seems to be a ruse for the tourists - you will have your name carved on a canoe or an oar or the like and it will cost you around $10 - $20FJD. unless you catch them quickly and dont give them your name or say no thank you before they start the carving.
anyway, it doesnt matter because i was really feeling like i was on holiday. as soon as we got packed back into the van and taken to the wharf, i started to get nervous. that was a bit weird. but i knew what it was.

so we arrived at the island after a boat trip of around an hour and a half. the photo on the left shows the bay on which octopus is located - its called likuliku bay and it was the most beautiful thing that i had ever seen.
we had started chatting to the people on our transport van and their faces reflected mine. huge smiles and absolute pleasure at what we had only seen on the internet. this was even better.

the water in the bay was crystal clear and extremely blue. i couldnt see anything bigger than my hand so the shaking stopped and i was able to breathe in a sigh of relief and jump off the boat and onto the warm white sand.

the staff at the resort were so welcoming and full of smiles - i was sure that nothing bad ever happened here.
we strolled on down to the dive shop and rented out snorkel gear ($5 for the entire length of our stay!) and i got all the forms i needed for my course. you know the old medical questions etc. i met jodi at the the dive shop. she is one of the instructors at octopus - and her manner put me at ease from the start. she told me we could get it all done in 4 days and that i had 5 pool dives and 5 open water dives to complete. plus i had to watch some really corny videos and complete some knowledge tests but that none of it was going to be a stretch.
the first pool dive was going to be the next day - and sam and martin from our boat (couple #1) were going to be doing it as well - yayyyy!

right - the day of reckoning. can i shove a regulator in my mouth and submerge myself? will i float to the top? will i survive? once again, my law of doing everything first and just jumping in worked well. i had my wetsuit on first, tanks strapped on and jodi told me to put my regulator in and just snorkel around for a while.
WOW! 5 seconds later i had the big grin - this i can do! first hurdle overcome - i know i can breathe underwater. then we sink to the bottom of the pool and hang around there for a while.
the next day was to be our first open water dive. i woke up in the morning and felt ill. not just because i was nervous. but the night before was sams birthday and in order to forget my fears, i participated in the consumption of 3 bottles of vodka. i was a little more than slightly hungover. damn.

diving with a hangover is not fun. dry mouth. headache. queasy tummy.
getting into my wetsuit, i was wondering what on earth i had got myself into. nell was standing around the dive shop throwing a few funny comments and all i wanted to do was smack her and tell her to go away. so i snapped at her instead and then just ignored her as i made my way down the beach to the dive boat. we got out to the dive site and the water was clear - but i still couldnt see the bottom well enough. and i couldnt tell if there was anything down there that was going to eat me. but i james bonded (backwards roll) into the water and then swam around to the line to wait for the others. by this time i had figured, the faster i get in, the faster i can get out.
the others joined me at the front of the boat and we started to descend. but i wouldnt sink!! i was pulling myself down the line trying to remember to equalise and trying to get further down - but none of it was working right! joe, one of the dive masters, came back up for me and led me down by the fins and kept reminding me to equalise. we turned around onto our bellies and he grabbed my hand and led me around the face of the wall. we made it down about 12 meters and i was sure i was having problems with my ears and i would never be able to dive again. yayyy! finally an excuse!!!

about this time, sam had decided that she had well had enough. she wanted to go up and i just pretended my ears hurt a little more than they did. so i went up too.

we surfaced - to find that we had been at 12 meters for 22 minutes.

see - breathing underwater isnt just for fish

p.s. coming home from this trip, i felt compelled to share my travels in more ways than one. for a brief travel log, take a look at my yasawas report on globosapiens.

tough nut to crack

2006-03-18T18:26:00.000+13:00

'it is absurd to divide people into good and bad. people are either charming or tedious'
-- oscar wilde, lady windermere's fan, 1892, act 1

i am quikflik - a sagitterius. a 31 year old young woman (yes you can read immature if you like) - living in auckland, new zealand.
i like to think - a lot. and i like to share my thoughts and feelings on the internet. i like to pretend that i can say things out here because no one i know will ever read them. i also like to pretend that people wont really care what i say.
and so far its working out for me just fine thank you very much.
wow that feels like i am saying "hi, i am quikflik and i am a drug addict"

one of my pet peeves is ex boyfriends - who never grow up (or out, or longer!)
this is something that i have been wanting to get off my chest since i saw him for the first time in 3 years. i guess the hassle of liking em young is that they will always seem immature. the thing that gets me most about my ex(s) is that most of them repulse me now (what the hell was I thinking?)
in considering this - here are some things that i really wish i had said to him :
- i've smoked fatter joints than that
- why dont we just cuddle
- will it squeak if I squeeze it ?
- can I be honest with you ? (yes at times even i hold my tongue a little)
- why dont we skip straight to the cigarettes
- are you cold ?
- if you get me drunk first ... (thats just an invitation really aint it ?)

and the other pet peeve - i'm sure a lot of auckland girls will understand this one;
people (mainly men) who honk their horns at me while i am putting on my makeup in the car in the morning. i've lived in auckland for nearly 7 years now - i can put mascara on in 70 kph rush hour traffic !

however, i am not, and will not be referred to as a jafa.
i am what we like to call a wolta. a wellingtonian ON LOAN to auckland.