History? Clear All.

Last week I'm sure most of you saw the compilation of Tweets from people who were unaware the sinking of the Titanic was a real event. Along with those I shared it with on Facebook, I was appalled by the writers' ignorance.

But today I began questioning why I was so stunned. I distinctly remember reading a watered-down (no pun intended) account of the disaster at primary school, prior to the original release of James Cameron's film, but I'm unsure whether the majority of my peers did the same. If not for the film, would we early-20-somethings have known about the 1912 event itself? I guess that is impossible to say for certain.

Regardless, this isn't a post written to defend these poor Tweeters. I could speculate for hours about modern education, and the amount of time one could spend focusing on information about events happening around the world right at this very moment, let alone last century.

But I'm thinking more selfishly, and wondering - if these people can go through life being unaware of this iconic tragedy, what am I missing out on?

I feel like almost every day a historical event is referred to in a news report or article, and I learn a whole lot of information about something I'd never heard of before. In the past week alone I have learned, for the first time, about Budd Dwyer's suicide, the Lockerbie bombing, and Unit 731 - the latter of which caused the most disappointment in myself. I knew bad things happened during World War II, but I didn't know details of this Unit, I didn't know who was involved, I didn't know any specifics of the atrocious acts which were carried out there. And to me that event seems far more significant than an engineering feat-come-maritime disaster.

So I'm curious - what are some historical events you think are significant, and that everyone (me) should be aware of?

Fffuuu

There's a couple of missing cat posters that have been hanging in my neighbourhood for the past week or so. When ever I walk past I stop to take a look, to remind myself to keep an eye out for her, and my heart aches for her poor owners each time- particularly when I saw a reward had been added to the posters after a few days.

I just walked past this afternoon and saw someone had drawn a rifle target on the photo in black marker. Are you fucking serious? You guys, I raged so hard right there on the footpath. If the tagging culprit had been standing there I probably would have smacked them.

Luckily the poster is laminated with plastic, so I stopped and scratched the drawing off- I hope the owners didn't see it. It astounds me how repulsive some people are. I really pity the little asshole who has clearly never had the privilege of caring for a pet. Rant over. 'Scuse the swears.

D-d-dating

Earlier today I Tweeted that online dating is bad news. Like the majority of my Tweets, it was a flippant comment, but it received instant response from several people so I figured I better take my statement to a place where I could actually elaborate on my views and discuss them with anyone who is so generous as to care about what I think. I love Twitter, I do, but it's very difficult to get your point across effectively when you are limited to sending 140 characters at a time. No matter how speedy your typing.

Also. Please note, this is not a debating speech. I'm not excessively passionate about this topic, so I'm flip-flopping a bit on my views. Don't hate me; as I said, this stems from a Tweet. Never to be taken too seriously.

So. I made the statement after reading more about this story, about a former NZ public servant who has allegedly been busted smuggling cocaine in South America. Her family claim she has been conned by scammers through online dating. Obviously I don't know whether that's true or not, so don't go jumping down my throat, but it seems fairly likely considering the man she was 'dating' has conveniently disappeared from Facebook.

Regardless, this tale is the latest of quite a few online dating disaster stories I have learned of, both in magazines and real life. I personally know four people who have met lying dropkicks through online dating, and allowed themselves to be blindly led along by these people, until finally snapping out of the daydream and realising the sad reality of the relationship. One of those four people is myself, which is embarrassing to admit, but I think important in getting readers to realise I'm trying to be honest about my views, and not just be a judgmental bitch. I won't go into the specifics about that relationship- it wasn't a scam artist and it became an 'in real life' relationship, but the whole thing was completely unhealthy and the person was someone who would absolutely not receive a second of time from the 'me' I am today, regardless of our history.

And that's my point, right there. I was a different person- I was big time depressed. And I believe people use online dating services because, in some way, they are dysfunctional. That's the best word I can think of to describe the huge range of issues I'm referring to. By 'dysfunctional', I mean to include such minor issues as being super shy, or having low self confidence. I think people use online dating because they absolutely want to find someone*, where as people in the real world date because they've met someone they want to get to know more**. Online dating is therefore full of the most vulnerable single people around, and the perfect preying ground for those who are dysfunctional in a not-so-vulnerable way.

Of course, in some situations, two 'dysfunctional' people are going to meet, and work out, and be perfectly wonderful together. But that kind of situation is something I only hear about in 'a friend of a friend' anecdotes.

Maybe I just know too many 'dysfunctional' people?

* Yes, this is a euphemism for 'desperate', but please don't get too defensive. I don't mean this in a nasty way at all- I think I am sort of a serial monogamist, and I therefore understand the loneliness of singledom- it's not my preference either.
** There are, of course, exceptions to this- blind dating, speed dating etc. But how many dating success stories do you know that were born via these means?


Image source.

Sneaky peeks

Had the first session of my second tattoo yesterday afternoon! Took just over two hours, and Simon the tattoo artist got all the line and shading work done, plus coloured in the DH-88 with such a perfect shade of red- hoping it stays a similar tone once it's done scabbin' and itchin'. The Tiger Moth is going to be yellow, but not 100% sure about the rest yet. Have my next appointment in a couple of weeks! Will definitely post a clear photo once it is all finished, but for now you can squint at the blur and admire Wallace!

PS: My flatmate Matt also got tattooed by Simon yesterday (field trip!) and you can view photos of his tattoo/follow him on Twitter.

Social Media Media.

I have angry-Tweeted about this topic several times in the past, and did so again this morning. I'd be interested to hear anyone's thoughts on the issue.

In my opinion there is a lot of coverage in the media about social networking privacy- raising awareness of the permanence of Facebook uploads, and warning prospective employees that their future bosses may be checking out their online lives. I have things published online which are a bit cringe-worthy, but nothing I'm particularly bothered or threatened by at this point in my life. My Facebook is locked to friends-only, but this is largely due to avoiding people from my past, rather than related to potential employment. In fact, being such a quiet person in real life and so terribly nervous during job interviews, I think it's an extremely positive thing if people looking to hire me check out my online presence- this blog included. It's definitely a short cut to getting to know me, which is why my real name is attached to it. (On a slight tangent, I think people also need to remember that the employment warnings can be flipped around the other way- whenever I land a job interview, I always search Facebook to see what the interviewer looks like, and see if I can find out what kind of person they are. Calms the nerves a little if nothing else!)

Another issue surrounding social networking privacy is a little less obvious, and seems to recieve little attention from the public. How much of what you post on Facebook should be used by the media, and should that change in different circumstances?

This is the latest example I have come across, where information from Facebook is used by the media, though it is a pretty minor instance. Unfortunately I don't have the time to trawl back through Tweeted links to other examples. Anyway, what irritates me about this article about the death of Blair Titmus is that they have used such fluffy information from his public status, just to bulk out the article a little more. Even though the information is attributed to Facebook, saying he was riding the motorbike he had recently built is just speculation- why include it? He could have several bikes, or have been riding one that was borrowed. The article itself says the investigation is continuing, so why include this at all?

My own most recent Facebook status mentions that I have run out of contact lenses. If I dropped dead tomorrow in news-worthy circumstances, with my profile set to public, would that be included in my article? What if I was hit by a bus? "Miss Jones was not wearing contact lenses, according to her Facebook page, and may not have seen seen the pedestrian signal." (I will be exta careful for the next few days, guys.)

A couple of past examples that really bothered me were a couple of different fatal road accidents. Media outlets quoted messages posted on the Facebook walls of the deceased, written by their loved ones. I don't even like the idea of quoting from Facebook memorial pages, but I think taking personal messages of grief from the page of the victim is extremely rude, unprofessional and just plain going-too-far. To me, it's like going up to a gravestone, and quoting from a letter left there for the deceased. Any member of the public could go and have a look if they really wanted to, but it doesn't need to be included in public articles.

From what I have seen, in some cases where impromptu memorials are created following newsworthy deaths, TV broadcasts will often show close ups of notes and messages left on boquets of flowers. Yes, it could be argued that this is similar to showing glimpses of messages left on Facebook pages, but I think the big difference though is that print media needs to attribute these quotes to a source, and so the writers full name, as displayed on Facebook, is often attached to the message.

What about criminals? Here's a link to one recent example I could recall- the mentioned Facebook profile was set to private, but the grainy thumbnail of the girl's profile picture was still used to accompany the story. Should that be allowed? Is it acceptable because she is guilty of a crime?

Should laws be imposed surrounding this issue, before it gets out of hand? Are media outlets going to become so intent on scooping the latest story with pics, that a Facebook profile photo will be used for murder victims, before an official one released by the family? Would you find that acceptable?

What do you think? Does this kind of lazy reporting ever occur in the publications either online or offline that you read? Should the general public have to think about what would be reported based on their online presence if they suddenly dropped dead? Or should the media be forced to stick to official reports and statements only?

Image source.

Babe, Illness and Achievement

I have found the drama surrounding the filming of The Hobbit extremely boring. The only time I paid any attention to the media coverage and developed an opinion was when I heard that Michael Fassbender was rumoured to be in it. Hell, yes, please. So now I'm completely thrilled that it's confirmed to be filmed in New Zealand... Okay, I don't know what difference it will make to me exactly, but I guess it's just excitement at the chance of seeing him around Wellington.

I've had a bit of a hellish week unfortunately. Got over my illness of the weekend (okay, okay it was just stomach cramps) and then went downhill again on Tuesday evening with a sore throat which got the exciting bonus of a fierce headache yesterday. It's an important day at work tomorrow, so I finished early today and had a nap. After lots of coughing (glamorous) I actually feel a lot better this evening, which is a huge relief because I have a busy weekend ahead too!

On Saturday I'm going with my Mum and aunt to my cousin's hen (bachelorette) party. She's having an all-day event, starting with brunch and finishing with dinner and drinks etc. We're just going to the brunch part, as in the evening I'm going to the Rufus Wainwright concert. Which I have mentioned a lot, and am so excited for!

Earlier in the week I bought a silk maxi dress off TradeMe, mainly with the Australian wedding in mind. It hasn't arrived yet so I have no idea whether it will work for me or not, but it was pretty cheap so not too bothered. It's backless, so I spent a while inspecting my back with mirrors for any unsightly imperfections before I bought it. Haha, the realities of fashion huh. The success of the dress also depends on whether the Silicone Bra (also from TradeMe and yet to arrive) works... I'll update on that when it arrives, because bras are the bane of my life.

The only other piece of (actually exciting) news is that my favourite old friend Dylan Moran (not the Irish comedian) got a job today at TV3 as an online writer. He's been interning in that role for the past two months... but now he'll be paid for the great work he does! So excited for him, I've known him about five years now and he's been so focused on his goal of a journalism career that whole time. It's quite inspiring; I hope I soon work out exactly what I want to do and start working towards achieving it. My life is currently short-term goals of saving-for-holiday, finding-dress-for-the-wedding, finishing-this-commission... I'm in a job I enjoy, within a great industry, but it would still be nice to have some longterm study and career goals.

Skin/Hand creams/The Body Shop 2

It's been a week since I started using The Body Shop's Hemp Hand Protector, as blogged about here. I hiiighly recommend the product; just compare this photo below to the one from a week ago. The deep cuts have healed and my palm is just a bit dry and flaky now. This photo was taken before I'd put any of the cream on this morning. My hand felt really dry, and was crying out for the cream, however it's far less painful and itchy than it used to be.

I've been applying the cream around 3-4 times a day and have become used to the smell. Absolutely highly recommend this product, and thanks again to The Body Shop for giving me this sample.

Arthritis New Zealand Annual Appeal rant

Edit: According to Google Analytics I've had a few hits from people Googling "arthritis" "New Zealand" etc. If you wish to join our Wellington-based Facebook group you can do so here. All welcome.


You may or may not be aware of the fact that I have ankylosing spondylitis; an autoimmune disease with a ridiculously long-winded, tongue-twister of a name, and a depressing list of symptoms and outlooks. AS is a form of arthritis that mainly affects the spine. I was diagnosed a number of years ago now, and had my first symptoms of it around age 12.

At some stage I will definitely write a post on my personal experiences as a juvenile arthritic, but today I'm just writing my opinion on this TV advertisement for Arthritis New Zealand, and their annual appeal week which finishes tomorrow.

This year is the first time I'd seen it, though according to the YouTube upload it was also used last year. A trio of NZ "celebrities" fumble around in bright orange, over sized gloves, attempting to demonstrate the restrictions arthritis causes its sufferers.

Firstly, the elements of this ad that I commend are as follows:

• The use of locally recognisable celebrities
• Featuring Geraldine Brophy, who has arthritis herself
• Having a TV advertisement in the first place

However, that's pretty much where my praise ends.

I knew what arthritis was even as a small child, even though I wasn't aware that my own Mum had it (I'm talking primary school age). I recall the term being commonly used throughout my early years among my peers, "Don't crack your knuckles, you'll get arthritis!" We may not have known the finer details of the symptoms or causes of the disease, but we were all perfectly aware that arthritis was pain inside the joints of a person's body.

I personally don't think that the general population needs any eduction as to what arthritis is, on surface value, which is all this ad really covers. I don't imagine there's anyone in the country who doesn't know of somebody affected by it, and therefore knows the basics of what it is. However for the majority of people it will be an elderly relative with osteoarthritis, which is incredibly common, affecting almost all of the elderly population; a progressive breakdown of the joints. Elderly are already considered old and slow, and if I didn't have my own experiences with a different type of the disease, then I imagine I'd be quite oblivious to the degree of pain these elderly people are suffering from.

I don't like the advertisement's focus on the physical restrictions of arthritis, and the emphasis on the hands. This point is all very well outlined in Helen's blog post here:

"For one thing, these ads have absolutely no mention of pain. Personally, I have almost full function of my hands, but that doesn't mean that they are not extremely painful. Yes, arthritis does sometimes make my hands fumbly. There are times when I can't do up zips or find using a knife and fork difficult but this is a minor irritation compared to the long list of other symptoms and difficulties that come with the disease..."

"Then of course there is the pain and the things that go along with constantly being in pain. Lack of sleep, inability to concentrate, general exhaustion and floods of emotion..."

"Too many people already think that arthritis is just something you get in your hands..."

Lastly, I am irritated by the missed opportunity that could have been provided by the young celebrities. Where was the "I'm Drew Neemia, and arthritis affects people MY AGE"?

I realise there are two separate issues that Arthritis New Zealand supposedly advocate: the plea for support in the form of donations, and the plea for support in the form of public awareness and understanding. I just absolutely believe that this campaign could have achieved both to a greater degree if more emphasis was put on the how and the who, rather than just the what.

Day 29 of 30/Days with My Father

First of all, I came across Days with My Father by Phillip Toledano only a few days ago. So so beautiful, definitely got some tears going. Anyway, keeping with the theme of being-the-last-to-discover-everything, I just realised that you don't need a credit card to purchase from Fishpond! Uh oh! Danger! I've already paid online for the hardcover of this book. Excited! I'd love to give it away as a gift, but I don't think I'll want to part with it...

It's also my Day 29, which means tomorrow is the last day! I've enjoyed following these blogging prompts so much that I'm planning to start a new 30 Day challenge this Saturday! Stay tuned, and feel free to follow along with me. It'll be a mix of all the best blogging challenges I've come across over the past few months.

Anyway, around to the actual prompt. In the past 29 days, I've become a lot more organised, I wrote up a budget (and, yes, I just spent $34.95 of it on a book, buttt I am almost finished an urgent art commission which I am very excited to share, and also excited about getting paid for!) Obviously I learned you don't need a credit card for Fishpond. I've also done a lot more artwork in general. I've learned why Internet Explorer gets a bad rap from geeks (I normally use Chrome, but needed IE for a specific programme... nightmare). I learned that 10.6 lbs is massive for a newborn baby (nfi). I've learned that there are a lot of lovely people visiting my blog. Most importantly I learned I will never ever get 15/15 on the daily Stuff quiz. Crying.

What have you done with Alice?!

Okay, so the lovely Kate requested that I do a blog about my new planner book, mentioned in this Tweet. Which is outrageously amusing considering this blog post (apologies for the abundance of hyperlinks in this post). Popular bloggerdom, here I come.

So anyway, I purchased this pictured notebook (available from OfficeMax here) in a stationery order for work, and once it arrived decided to adopt it as my very own.

For several months I've been keeping a big A4 Executive Diary on my desk at work, and it's been working really well for all my work appointments and to-do lists. However, whenever I have work events outside of business hours, I seem to always be invited to a social event on the same night. And, since I have such a quiet social life, I automatically accept... and then realise I've double-booked.

So, thus far this notebook is working far more successfully to incorporate all aspects of my life. It's small (A5) so I can easily take it home each evening. I've labelled the five built-in tabs: "Alice" (for things like meal plans, my budget and other personal stuff), "To Do" (work action points which I check off and re-write daily, shopping lists, and other appointments), "Info" (lists of work information I use frequently), "Notes" (for jotting down messages and reminders before transferring them to "To Do" and crossing them off) and "Scribbles" (because I'm realistic about the fact that I like to doodle hehe). In each tabbed-section, I have Post-Its flagging different sections "dinner planning" and "$" under "Alice", "processes" and "addresses" under "Info" et cetera.

So far I've been really good about keeping all the information in the right section. I've also started writing "DONE" in red Sharpie, at the top of each page where the all the tasks have been completed.

It's probably not the most sophisticated system, but so far it's working for me. I think having blank notebook pages that still have dividers and tabs is really really helpful (in my old dated diary, sometimes I'd work from a checklist on one page for a week, and then when I went to rewrite the list and moved any outstanding items, there'd be a big blank gap, which got confusing).

Any other questions? Comment!

How to be a popular blogger

I’ve been lurking in the depths and shadows of this blogging business since my mid teens, when my visitor count consisted of the same trusted few, over and over, reading my completely moronic teenage musings. As Anonymous helpfully pointed out on my previous post, I still have a long way to go before reaching their own aged and educated level of enlightenment in all aspects of my life. However, after spending several months studying my peers, by means of Google Reader, I feel I do have the expertise to compile this “How to” list. My meager (though valued) followers, we too can be part of the elite “1000+ club”.

1. Have an Etsy shop.
2. Have a super-cute face, and preferably dimples. If they don’t come naturally, there’s a stud for that.
3. Get some tattoos. See FYT for inspiration.
4. Get a cat or a dog. Bonus points for having several of either.
5. Live with your boyfriend. Better yet, get married before graduation.
6. Possess a large collection of cameras, and ensure you hold one in each hand at all times. Bonus follower-points for using your cameras to take photos of your other cameras. (Those without the ability to collect cameras can source all images from WHI, at your own peril)
7. Be really, really organised. In your super cute little house, especially. And make sure to take a lot of photos demonstrating you organisational skills every time you clean up.
8. Those with incredible “thinking-ahead” skills, pre-arrange to be named a variation of Kayla upon birth. Alternative two-syllable first names are acceptable, though not favoured.
9. Allow your week to revolve around weekends, where you have 48 hours of thrifting opportunity (here we call it ‘op-shopping’, but let’s face it, no one in blogging-world is very interested in what words “arsy arsy little Alice” uses). Don’t forget your cameras!
10. Never ever ever post anything that could even remotely offend a fellow blogger.

Oh, fuck.

Day 9 of 30/Whinging

This past week I've had a few things to be proud of. Obviously getting Wallace, and feeling like I rescued him from a very bizarre living arrangement. Going to Sarah's school to help with backdrops. Being a bit more frugal with my money than usual. Finally buying Rufus tickets (well, Sarah had to help me out there, since I couldn't get the credit card to work online...!) And I think I've had a pretty productive week at work too.

On a negative note, I've had a couple of minor (in comparison to the benefits) side effects from Humira. The most annoying of which is that my hands have gone insanely scaly, dry and cracked. I put moisturisers and creams on them all day long, and they still split. My hands were in better condition when I was washing dishes in a cafe for hours on end. Still, it is a minor complaint! My next shot is tomorrow, in my thigh, and I'm sure Charlie's looking forward to administering it! I still can't bring myself to. My last one, two weeks ago, was in my stomach and left a bruise that's STILL there! The EpiPen shoots pretty damn hard. Sigh! I'm not too bothered really, I just like having an outlet for complaints!

Tonight I'm going to a party wearing a moustache. Should be good!

Musings

Some days I just cannot be bothered with anything; I go home from work, climb into bed, and pretty much sit there watching TV until I fall asleep. Other days however, I go home, turn on my iPod, get my art shit together and create for hours on end. I think today is one of the latter days. But I'm going for a drink with Sarah and Carolyn first, so will have to see whether I still have the energy when I get home.

I think my energy is thanks to the rare opportunity I had today to design this pictured cabinet for work. Funnn!

Also, oh wow. I just had a scroll through my Reader, and saw a bunch of fresh, red, raised tattoos. My heart skipped a beat... I want, I want! Having a new, raw tattoo was the best feeling; even the itching. I'm dyyying for number two now! I guess that should be my monetary goal for October (once the Passport renewal is out of the way). Definitely by Christmas, anyway. Eeee...!

Margerison-McCann Wheel

As this is my personal blog, I don’t want to write much about my work life in detail. However today my work team had a meeting after filling out tests for Margerison-McCann Team Management Profiles.

I was placed on the bottom right of the wheel; major role was Concluder-Producer, followed by Thruster-Organiser and Controller-Inspector. As I already was well aware of, I am on the extreme end of the “Introvert” scale. But it was so, so interesting to read through my profile, and more importantly, for my colleagues to read about my profile and for me to read theirs.

It’s amusing that I am such an Introvert considering my role as receptionist; however I’m fortunate that being on the front desk of this organisation is quite a minor element of my role, as most visitors to our office arrive for regular meetings and I already know them.

I haven’t always been such an extreme Introvert; I think during school I wasn’t too different in my working techniques to now, but I definitely spoke out a lot more, and contributed to all aspects of school life more verbally. I went through my most extreme stage of Extroversion during my first year in Wellington; meeting people, partying, attempting to be as outgoing as I could possibly manage. And that year ended with some messed-up stuff, which I think has affected me a lot, and it seems quite obvious now that I somehow associated the bad things that happened with the outgoing person I was. I’m now a great deal more self-conscious than I used to be. I think I’ve always had a tendency to blush, but when I was younger I had the confidence not to care, where as now, as soon as I feel myself going red, I get even more embarrassed, want to hide, and definitely don’t want anyone to look at me.

When I have a project to work on, I like to do it all myself, and only present the polished result. This is something I’m actively working on to fit in better with my colleagues, but it was really nice reading it written down, and made me understand why I work like that.

In my personal life, I am usually quite quiet (there are some friends who would disagree with that, but I think they’re people I’ve either known a long time/very well, and feel extremely comfortable around). I don’t like making small talk, I’m comfortable with silence when in the company of another person, and don’t feel compelled to fill silence unless I have something I feel is worth saying. A lot of people I meet at Tweet Ups are surprised at how quiet I am, because my Tweets can be a bit... er, “out-there”. Now I realise, that even the most fickle of my Tweets (man, I’m such a geek) have been thought out in my mind for longer than they would be if I said them out loud as I thought of them. They have a chance to be re-worded and polished. Additionally, I feel comfortable saying whatever I like on Twitter, because no one can see me as I say it. I’m constantly thinking in all aspects of my life, but I don’t voice many of my thoughts in person. For example, I’m happy to go away from a meeting, and compose an email of my thoughts, but in person; forget about it. I get nervous, I forget what I wanted to say... and if I do manage to get some words out, then I sit back, relieved the attention is off me, and suddenly remember a whole bunch of other points I wanted to make, that my nerves made me forget.

Today has made me think a lot more about where I’m heading in my career, and definitely made me go back to considering tertiary study for my near future.

One other thing I’ll mention is some of my colleagues who said they were deadline-driven, and gave their last-minute work for University qualifications as an example. One of them said how they’d realised that about themselves, that there was nothing they could do to change it, and that they’d just had to learn how to manage it. I found that really interesting, because we’re taught in school how to plan our time, research, not to leave assignments to the last minute. These are obviously great skills to learn about, but this makes me wonder whether there is too much emphasis placed on that method. Obviously some people are naturally inclined to leave things to the last minute, and if that contradicts all the methods being taught in school, subsequently some are going to feel like failures.

Sorry for the massive post (the Introvert venting her thoughts!)

Wellington Walks

Today I walked all over the central city for almost three hours, taking pictures for an upcoming project. Took this one on the waterfront by Te Papa.

Checked out exhibitions at Minerva on Cuba Street and Solander on Willis. Very very cool. Nadine Smith's paper works at Solander are so awesome, look great from afar and are constructed so delicately up close. Her jewellery was in the exhibition I was in last year.

Charlie's in Auckland for the weekend which is pretty lonely! I guess at least I'm getting stuff done. I'm five episodes into season one of Breaking Bad; damnnn it's good! I heard talking about it a couple of years ago, but never got around to watching it. So addicted, it's definitely up there with Dexter in my top shows list.

It's getting late so I better finish cleaning our apartment. Important day tomorrow!

A super-small little peek of a section of the big drawing I'm working on. Emily and my parents are arriving soon. I wish I had straight hair.

Sold the two paintings overnight; the auctions closed in the early hours of this morning.

How sweet is this Tweet! Aww! Made my day, and I hope the painting makes hers when it arrives!

Also, I'm on the Stuff periodic table of NZ Tweeters. Which is neat; it's pretty much a chart of all my favourite people to interact with too.

I went to the TVNZ 7 Internet debate on Wednesday night, was really interesting to be in the TV studios (haven't been since What Now? filming as a child). Should maybe blog my opinions on the topics they discussed sometime soon; it was hard sitting in the audience and listening to everything, not being able to contribute! I went with Sarah who is a primary school teacher, and there were lots of things she wanted to comment on too. Stay tuned.

Yesterday was pretty horrid, and I'm trying to mentally delete it. Just stupid little shit from the past. Although it has refreshed, for me, the knowledge that I have overcome some crap, and reminded me how truly awesome life is now. I feel grateful and lucky.

Lots of plans for the weekend, just hoping I can keep up my energy!

I have my first satisfied customer! How exciting. Sarah-Rose received the fawn watercolour in the mail today.

And I've been asked by a fellow Tweeter to do a custom painting of her adorable dog! AND both my watercolours currently for sale on TradeMe are $20+!

Why didn't I listen to people and start selling my work years ago?

Five Guilty Pleasures

1. My Chemical Romance and Panic! At The Disco

In 2005 I was a 6th former in small town Wairarapa. I thought I was mega amazing, because I imitated verbatim the American bloggers I read on Xanga. I got my lip pierced, put green streaks in my hair, wore bright pink shoelaces with my school uniform (because the school policy didn't specifically mention shoelace colour), I listened to MCR when they were 'so alternative' (they weren't), and I was a fucking douchebag. But I had fun doing it, and P!ATD is still one of my favourite soundtracks for painting.

2. Chocolate and Marshmallows

So bad, so good. This Winter has definitely expanded my waistline to new widths, but there's nothing like consuming both a pink Pascals marshmallow and a square of Cadbury Dairy Milk in one bite.

3. This Recipe

On the subject of food, this recipe has been a favourite of mine since I was little. Disgustingly fatty, but so good. I made it myself for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Press 500g of mince into the bottom of a casserole dish. Sprinkle one packet of Cup-A-Soup powder over the mince (I use Tomato Soup). Cut the crusts off white bread and make a single layer of the bread to cover the surface of the mince. Sprinkle grated cheese on top and bake at 180 degrees Celcius for 30-45 minutes. Drain excess fat and devour. I'm not convincing any of you, am I? Trust me, it's good.

4. Olsen Twins Movies
Hanson, Spice Girls, silver platform Pulp shoes and the Olsen Twins. One of these childhood passions has stood the test of time.

5. "Fingerpainting" on frosty or dirty windows

Suckers.

Have had the most disappointing weekend thus far! It's Saturday night and I'm at home watching The Stepford Wives on TV2 and contantly squeezing my neck muscles; I woke up unable to turn my head to the right. So irritating! I had to cancel my plans to go to the party of one of my best friends, and I know she'll be disappointed which is totally understandable. I feel terrible, especially after people cancelled on my 21st I hate letting people down.

I haven't had neck pain since I started Humira, and I forgot how incredibly restricting it is to be unable to move your neck! I'm sure it's just a pulled muscle, but it feels pretty similar to my AS symptoms. I have plans with my friend Sophie tomorrow, so I absolutely have to improve over night! So excited to see her, she moved to Auckland over a year ago now and I really miss her.

I have managed to get a lot more work done on my drawing, in brief sittings. I guess sitting with my head bend at my desk probably wont help, but I'm so so eager to finish it! I can't decide whether to add it to my Rufus drawing and store them away for a future exhibition or whether to attempt to sell it on Trade Me. I've spent SO many hours on it! Pricing will be very difficult to work out. I guess I'll just stick to selling little watercolours on Trade Me though, it seems a shame not to exhibit one of the best pieces I've ever done.

This movie is so retarded. I saw it when it first came out. But man the Wives look incredible. I want all of their dresses! And I love Glenn Close.

Here's hoping Sunday trumps Saturday!