Intrigued

I don't personally know anyone in Germany, oh, I know one person actually... so... who in Germany is reading my blog, because its happening quite abit according to my stats. don't be shy, come and say hi.

March - Twenty Seven

 

March 27. 8am Im in the city, a necessary evil to secure a free park on campus while I go to the library. the Library however open till 9am so I walked down the hill to get some breakfast. After initially seeing next to noone, I came upon a gigantic plug balanced on top of a bunch of people, walking up the main street and some fake policemen. Its obviously an advert shoot but it looks pretty fun.  This makes me think I should get up earlier more often.

March - Twenty Six

 

March 26. I join Amy on a rainy Saturday night to have drinks and nibbles at her sister Taleta's lovely new home. Rain and my hair = not friends, I laugh at people who say to me ' I wish I had curly hair!' no, you really don't. Tal, Amy, myself and Tals friend Mandy have a very enjoyable night in with Taleta's daughter Aiyana being the musicmaker. For once I remember my camera has a timer on it, and I manage to slot myself in instead of always being behind the lens.

 

March 25. Mat has come to visit us with his brand new iPad 2. Its shiny and pretty awesome. I'm even allowed to have a little play. 

March - Twenty One

 

March 21. Monday lecture finishes at 5pm, and on this night its the second of Tariq Ali's 3 guest lectures, so some class members and I go to the student bar for a beer and a chat. The topic du jour is mobilising our knowledge into some kind of political action, student politics these days is, wanting. I imagine in my minds eye that perhaps, one day this will be a photo of the beginning of change.

March - Twenty

 

March 20. One of the cool things about Seb, is he's not afraid to take personal risks with his self image. This makes him an endless source of interesting fodder for the camera. Sunday morning with his eyes shut, still not awake he said, can I put a shelf on the wall? and I had no idea what he was on about, and next thing you know he's gone to the shops, bought the wood and he's building it.

March - Nineteen

 

March 19. Theres been all these horrific earthquakes, and they cause people to reevaluate their situations.  Kate and I have known each other since were about 7 or 8, shes just been employed as a fabulous lawyer at a firm.... in Tokyo. The monster 8.9 quake gave pause to think about a quick jaunt back to hug parents and sisters and friends and so I visited her and we talked and talked and enjoyed a chocolate hot cross bun with tea. Im glad she is safe, Im glad we got this chance.

March - Eighteen

 

March18. The end of another week it seems to be all about cake. Neil and I shared 9am gateau and cheesecake, which was followed by soup and assorted cakes with Mike and Kathryn at our house. Cake turned into copious amounts of booze and chips and chicken sandwiches as our evening turned to hilarity, care of the viennese maid Miriam, home for a visit from Austria, and our friends Craig, Bev and Brendan. When Sebs face turns a rose coloured shade of pink you know he's having a good time.

March - Seventeen

 

March 17. My 700 theory class went to the first of 3 guest lectures to hear esteemed writer and academic Tariq Ali speak. The topic was 'Empire and its Futures'.  This particular talk he concentrated on the Arab world, capitalism, democracy, and the history from the Ottoman Empire to present day and the tensions in Libya. The house was packed and I enjoyed it very much!

March - Fifteen

 

March 15. I am sitting in the dark with hot chocolate and my friend Amy, and we are at the Rialto on a Tuesday morning watching the film "BLUE VALENTINE". I used to do this when I was 18 and I just started design school, we would cut class and go watch a movie. It was fun to do again and I think this means I'm graduating out of those years devoted to small children and nothing else, and back to myself. I missed me.

March - Twelve

 

March 12. After a pretty horrible week including earthquakes, the japanese tsunami and the loss of my furry beloved I opted to try and do some less sad, more celebratory. This was the first time I have been to 'Pacifika', celebration of the South Pacific and its peoples in the biggest polynesisan city in the world, Auckland. A mass of colour and dance, food and people, I managed to score the coconut bread and chop suey I really wanted so I was happy, even if momentarily.  Soul food for trying times.

Jeffurry

Jeffurry . A soul cat after my own heart. Loved from first sight, I will miss you rubbing your face against my legs, wriggling from my cuddles, sitting on me at 5am waiting for me to wake up so I will feed you. I miss your miaows and your gentle company. The girls miss you too, especially Juno, I wish I could undo Friday and have you back again. xxx

March - Eleven

 

March 11. I don't know what to write. Sometimes a day starts and the most arbitrary of things can combine to create a terrible outcome. I spent a long time looking for Jeffurry, a long time looking for a special animal to connect with, I felt that this little cat, my little special buddy was the end of my search. I didn't know that he and his sisters were outside when I backed up the drive alittle faster than usual because I was running late to drop Kobi to school. I didn't know he was sitting in the grass next to the driveway and that the bump against my car wasn't his sister who shot out the side of my car frightening me and her, it was him. And he ran, injured and died under our house. I feel heartbroken not because of this accident, but because he was so special to me and he won't get to live out the rest of his awesome little life with us and I miss him heaps. Love you Jeffurry, my bongo boy xxxxxxx

March - Nine

 

March 16. This entry was supposed to be about burying Lulu. Instead it turns into the prophetic last moments with my beloved Jeffurry. Im finding it difficult to do this, so Im going to stop now.

Lulu

 

Our girl Lulu was run over tonight, shes the 5th cat to die since last December. She was a stroppy girl who wanted to be cuddled but hated it when it was happening. She leaves us her 3 kittens, I will bury her in the morning. Love and miss you Lulu girl. 

March - Eight

 

March 8. My neighbour Agnes has a fabulous Fejoa tree which is laden with fruit. I went over with the boys and we took half a bag, I always look forward to this. Free fruit, virtually unheard of. Dinner was experimentation, chick peas, kumara and roasted pumpkin in a mash with cumin, a tomato salsa with red onion and coriander, and a side of greek yoghurt and turkish bread. It was yums.

March - Seven

 

March 7. Morning began with cake celebrations at my chiropractors practise in honour of his agedness, shortly followed by securing the very last empty car space and walking up Constitution Hill to campus. The view of the city from the Sociology Post grad lounge is spectacular and deceitfully portrays what is actually a cold day. 10 degree drop overnight has me in a scarf and cardigan.

March - Six

 

March 6. First family dinner of the year at the Telfers. Jan prepares this beautiful meal and we enjoy the dying days of summer. Theres a chill in the air, time to break out the long pyjamas.

March - Five

 

March 5. Gaby invited me to watch the performance of her work in progress about Harakeke, this was one of 3 works in progress that Atamira company performed, all of which were completely fabulous. Using fundamental aspects of Maoritanga intertwined with contemporary dance, it is amazing to watch the flexibility of our culture with that of the modern world, to be able to create fundamentally unique art which is underpinned by a primacy of kaupapa Maori but that which reflects this world, the world that us as Maori live in now.

March - Four

 

March 4. No pictures this week because my camera battery died after taking the last photo on Monday. Here I am having a wonderful morning hot chocolate with my school friends again, this time including Catherine whom I haven't seen in the last 12 years. She lives in Texas doing fantastic work through her church. Mike (in blue) was leaving to go back to Beijing the next day, and so we took this last opportunity to spend the morning chatting, and we never ran out of things to talk about..... which is awesome.

February - Twenty eight

February 28. First day back at university. I left home at 10.50am, drove to the city and alas... no park. So I kept driving, round the waterfront, and parked here at Okahu Bay. It was overcast, so I sat in the car and watched and tried to read Theodore Adorno, but mostly I looked at the rain.

February - Twenty seven

 

February 27. The earthquake has been a very rubbish experience, even by proxy. I haven't much felt like taking pictures.  I organised an impromptu get together of old high school buddies, spurred on by my friend Cameron in the blue having been in Christchurch on that fateful day, and our other friend Mike being home from China for a visit. This year marks 20 years since we finished high school and parted ways forever, it is a wonderful experience being able to come back together again and enjoy each others company. Some of us have been friends now for 27 years, its remarkable to be able to say that.

February - Twenty four

 

February 24. Attempting to get out of the house and away from the horror on the telly, Seb decided we would go to Mission Bay, we sat on the beach and Cole and I beachcombed, doing our bit for the moana by picking up bits of rubbish. We stopped on Okahu Wharf, the boys leaned against the wind, it was nice to do something normal.

February - Twenty three

 

February 23. We wake to this on the front page, and life seemingly stops. I spend most of the day watching the television waiting for updates. I was supposed to go to uni orientation but I find I can't leave the house. Everything is abit of a daze. My mum came over with food, we watched the news, the whole thing does your head.

February - Twenty two

February 22. From 17 minutes past 1 in the afternoon, the Christchurch earthquake had my full attention. I called Kirsty, unaware of the depth of what had happened, to see if she was alright. Her voice told me everything I didn't want to hear, and then this on the television, an unrelenting, live feed of raw footage. It is an incredibly emotional thing to witness, I feel sad inside in a way I never imagined. 

February - Twenty

 

February 20. We went to my nanas to help set up her new laptop with a wireless modem, and thus she joins the world of fast(er) internet. She cooked a beautiful dinner for us while I went outside and took photos. This is the house I lived in as a small child, its always been a constant, and it always feels like home.

February - Nineteen

 

February 19. We are at Amys, I don't what they are talking about but it looks like no good. 

February - Sixteen

 

February 16. Gaby invited me to join her dance company 'Atamira' for the day as she embarks on work around the process of weaving and Maori art. Shes wearing a piu-piu made by the lady in the centre photo. We spent some time learning the art of removing muka from harakeke, I went along to watch the methods and try to add to my own knowledge. It was fantastic to watch each dancer try the piu piu on and bring it to life with their movement.

February - Fifteen

 

February 15. We had takeways in the car, and drove up One Tree Hill. We took a leisurely stroll to the summit, its a view I never tire of looking at, I never stop feeling glad I live here, it never stops being beautiful.

February - Thirteen

 

February13. The men went and played golf, while the mothers stayed at home with the children. Nureyev enjoyed his new batman costume while Holiday hung out with me and her mummy and we figured out stuff with flax.

February - Twelve

February 12. Sebs nephew Max had a skate party for his 9th birthday, we went to the new purpose built skate park in Botany downs, a seething mass of teenage daring, perspiration and silent admiration of the 'able' skate masters. Fun to watch, but I don't think I'll be joining them anytime.

February - Eleven

February 11. Last night Sebastian suffered a suspected Hyphema after taking a shower, his cornea had blood in it so we went to the A & E but it was closed when we got there. On the drive home the bleeding mysteriously disappeared! Nevertheless we went back to the doctor this morning. I know, its weird, I took pictures in the doctors rooms, but Seb and Dr Phil (a different one to the texan) were in another room, and well I was left to my own devices, I saw a blog opportunity... I then went to see Dr Neil and had a chiropractic adjustment. It was a day for doctors.

February - Ten

 

February 10. We went looking for Max's birthday present, Seb got some icecreams at Maccas, I asked for a coke, the grumpy serving girl gave him a frozen one. It was incrediby anticlimactic. When you get your heart set on a thing and you don't get it, it sucks.

February - Nine

 

February 9. I was sitting in my car in the carpark at the supermarket, with my new Diary I just bought for the academic year , shoes on the chair I wore to lunch with Letitia and Derrick, my friends from uni, trying to figure out what food I could afford to buy. Oh a students life!

February - Eight

 

February 8. Driving home from meeting my mother in Manukau I saw a billowing mass of black smoke coming from near where we live. By the time I got there it was just this sort of insipid little spire, and there was loads of fire trucks. This probably really ruined someones day, I hope they were insured.

February - Six

 

February 6. Waitangi day, day of the signing of our founding document, day I didn't do anything because it was really hot. Kobi's friend Jack came over, we took the kids to the park to skate, they are getting pretty good at it.

February - Five

 

February 5. The boys called me into the garden to see a new 'mystery' cat, a cat never seen before. I followed him down to the fenceline and took his picture, hes a beautiful giant boy, with markings that suspiciously look like the same ones as Jeffurry and Juno. The boys named the likely Daddycat 'Fresno' and then Lulu came and chased him off.

February - Three

 

February 3. Working for the man + 80% humidity + no time off for holidays = this version of Seb.

February - Two

February 1. In October Lulu gave birth to 3 kittens in the shed, we adopted all of them. Jeffurry is the only boy, and its true that I love them all but he is my favourite one. I knew it the minute I saw his little one day old self. I named him Jeffurry because... hes a Jeffurry. Coincidentally, 2 kittens from this batch share names with overseas friends, Ariel and Jeff, count yourselves special!

February - One

 

February 1. Its about 8.15 am, the kids are at the door, ready to go, Im not sure they are pleased about it, in fact, I know they are not. But they are good kids, and they got themselves ready with little fuss, they were already dressed and eating breakfast when I woke up. 2011, Kobi is Year 8, last year of intermediate, Cole is in Year 5.