Hard at work

Lunch break at work, thanks for taking the photo mike :)

Motorbike licencing joke

I think LTNZ are trying to be funny...

Are they REALLY being serious when they as questions like:

The main reason for wearing potective clothing is that it:
(a) looks good
(b) protects you in a fall
(c) stops other drivers from seeing you

Do they really expect someone to get that wrong?! I think there just can't be that many questions they can ask, but there doesn't even seem to be a point to a test if the questions are like that - oh well - I'm doing it tomorrow, I think I'll pass :P

UPDATE>>>

Well - I passed! Unfortunatly my eyes are now so retarded that I have to wear glasses when I drive and ride... Gutted!

UPDATE>>>

Today I went to my opticians to get some contacts sorted out, and after an eye exam he said I was actually ok to drive/ride without them! So now I need to go and pay $30 for a new license - but I'm ok with that!

Aarrg! It's Fenn the pirate!

Fenn wearing a hat made from mitre 10 bags, they're going to be all the rage you know!

James McAvoy, and why I love him

Have you ever been asked who your favourite actor is?

Of course you have – especially when filling out your profile for Facebook or one of those evil dating profiles, which we all know just lead to bad things!

Well until recently I never really gave that question much of my time, and didn’t really have a favourite… There are lots of greats of course; Dame Judy is up there, Ewan McGregor is always a good choice, and I do have a thing for Lucy Lawless too – she certainly rocks as a Cylon! (FYI - James is also a fan of Battlestar, oh yeah!)
This has all changed over the last month however, when I realised I do actually have a favourite actor, one which I will buy a movie for – even if I haven’t seen it yet – just because they are in it… If you haven’t already guessed from the title, mine is James McAvoy! (and go and get a coffee for gods sake!)

So who is he? And when did my (until recently unrealised) obsession begin?!
Well, it all goes back to 2002, a year when I was busy working a 9-5 job at H & J Smith and living with Michelle in Tasman St, Nelson. Back then I was so much more innocent and spent each evening watching Shorty St and The Amazing Race with Mich, and reading Dune. This is where James comes in, as I first saw him in Children Of Dune, a sci-fi channel mini series which covered the second and third Dune books. James played Leto II, who became the God Emperor, and eventually turned into a Sandworm (this will mean nothing to you if you haven’t read Dune, but if you haven’t that’s your loss cause it’s the best sci-fi epic ever!!) So there he was, James first came onto my TV, he’s character was half naked for much of his performance, and pulled some awesome fighting moves while developing some pretty cool sandworm teeth! Apart from being a pretty face, he also came across as a pretty good actor!


James was born in Scotland, so I do of course feel empathetic towards him for that reason, but he also got married on my birthday! I’m not sure if this is just rubbing salt in the wound, or a sign that he is meant to be my favourite actor, either way it’s nice to have some sort of connection! :P

So is there life after Dune? Of course there is! James has played all sorts of characters, from a quadraplegic Irishman in Inside I’m Dancing (A movie which will make you laugh and cry, unless you have no sole), to Mr Tumnus the Fawn (another connection, this was one of my many nicknames!). James is also in The Last King Of Scotland which won much acclaim and is also a great watch, and did a great job as the lead in Starter For 10, an awesome comedy based around the TV classic that was University Challenge! Oh and Atonement is also very well reguarded! Unlike most American actors he’s also great at pulling off accents seamlessly, which is always nice! Saying that I guess most American’s don’t need too, as their movies as always about America – you must admit though, this is a bit boring and doesn’t really show the actors are very versatile!

So there you have it, he’s talented, witty and pretty hot too, he’s had some great roles and is set to have more, especially in The Hobbit! James has been tipped to play Bilbo, which will of course be his biggest role yet. I guess this post is partly to say “I saw him first – get your own favourite actor!” as I’m sure once the Hobbit comes out he will be in the spot light a lot more, so watch out cause he’s going to everywhere soon! (Especially in Wellington, hopefully he’s going to love it so much he’ll move here with his wife and I can be his gardener!!)

I’ll leave it there, but keep an eye out for him and watch any movie that he is in; as I’m sure you’ll agree he is awesome once you’ve seen him at work! Just remember – hands off!

It's bike time!

After years of dreaming, last month I decided to stop waisting my life away and get a motorbike!
Before you start telling me that I've been making more rash decisions, I have been keeping an eye on Trade Me for a while now to get an idea of whats about!
So here it is - MY BIKE!!
250cc Hyosung, sexy bike and surprisingly cheap too!

Well I was just doubled out to pick it up (ta Sambo) and rode it home, WOW!
What can I say? That was fun!! I'm looking forward to summer now, it's going to be a good one! :D

my big day!

Well it’s now official!

I’m no longer a graduand but a graduate (did you even know that word existed?! I didn’t and apparently I was one!)

On Wednesday it all happened, and even though it still only feels like yesterday, it isn’t, and as Mike pointed out - even though potatoes are important, my graduation is slightly more exciting!

So how did it go??! What actually happened?! Did you get drunk?! Did you really make out with that guy in S&M’s?! These are all questions people have asked me since, and I shall now impart my knowledge, as a graduate of Victoria University of Wellington :)

The morning stated with a good breakfast and a bottle of Veuve Clicquot with Aaron, and thanks very much for that, it was certainly a good start to the day!!


After that I quickly got myself ready, putting on my cape (which sounds WAY cooler than gown), with a few hints about trencher (hat) placement from the pro, and we headed into town for the parade at 12, which went down Lampton Quay from the Law School to the Michael Fowler Centre. Aaron was my one man paparazzi band, THANK YOU!!

The ceremony was from 1-3 and apart from a few musical interludes it basically comprised of clapping for 3 hours as everyone walked across the stage one by one. Of course there was the occasional woop or wolf whistle as someone I knew was called, but apart from that the clapping did get a bit boring, and sore on my untrained palms! Thanks to Aaron, Mike, EJ and Megan for sitting through it for me!

The best bit of music by far was a girl who played a Marimba extremely well, and for added entertainment had unusually large breasts, and wasn’t afraid to let them take centre stage so to speak! I knew as I was thinking this, that EJ would be perving; as we all know, she does love a good pair! (I found out later on that EJ did enjoy that part of the ceremony very much) Yoshiko, apart from being hot, was also VERY talented, and worked the large instrument as if it were, well, a large instrument that needed to be worked! She had two sticks in each hand, and somehow managed to manipulate them to change the space between them so she could hit all the right notes, and up to 4 at a time!

After about an hour and a half of clapping and listening to ‘hot marimba girl’, my row were called up to get ready for the big moment, and before I knew what was happening I was standing with nothing but the stage in front of me and my name was called – it all seemed to happen rather fast! As I walked across, I heard various screams (EJ) and other noises which are hard to explain from my (many) devotees (LOVE YOU GUYS!!), and I gave them a wee wave back! Unfortunately, in her enthusiasm, EJ (who was videoing) temporarily forgot to point it at me, as you will see from the clip***come back soon to see it***! You can of course still hear some of the noises which people made, it was all very exciting!

Once I was back in my seat, it was back to clapping for another hour and a bit, but I was content!
As the leaving procession of academics began to file past at the end, I did have flashbacks to Eyes Wide Shut, which was slightly disturbing considering the average age of the professors, but I’ll leave that there as I don’t feel like elaborating on that distressing thought.
Mike had to go back to work after, but managed to show up the others with a present, even if it was slightly French! THANKS FOR COMING MIKE!

So began the drinking! We decided the best plan of action, to save money, would be to buy some wine and go to a byo Thai place for dinner! This was a great idea! The food was awesome, and the wine did the job of getting us all off to a good start for the night, and Laura even came to join us at the end and showed us how to fit a water glass in your mouth and STILL look hot! Well to be honest it wasn’t really that hot, but as soon as the glass was back on the table, and the saliva was off her chin, she did look hot again!

Aaron left us to it and we all headed down to the Southern Cross for a few more drinks and to see everyone else who was meeting there.
After yet more drinking, a few of us decided to move on out (I think I was pushing for us to go dancing!) and we headed down Cuba St, stopping in at S&M’s on the way (which I have to say was lacking talent – although the Seven Tiki made up for it!). I wasn’t allowed into Electric Avenue as I was apparently too drunk (all lies I tell you) so we went somewhere else (I can’t actually remember where so maybe it wasn’t lies) and me, Thom, Alma and Megan had a good dance. Thom and I even had an Alma sandwich – HOT!


The girls ended up leaving us to it after a while, Thom and I stuck it out a bit longer, and then I got a cab home and was back by 3. Thanks to my sexy dance partners, I love you guys!!

So there you have it, but in case you missed the key points;
How did it go? – very well acutally.
What actually happened? – I just told you.
Did you get drunk? – why yes.
Did you really make out with that guy in S&M’s? – no, that was just a vicious rumour Mike tried to start today, unsuccessfully, good try though!

Lastly, you can see a few more pics here, and thank you SO much to everyone who shared the day with me, I LOVE YOU!!!!

It's the international year of...

... the Potato!!

Yes it's true, according to the UN anyway!

Why I hear you ask??

Well, apart from the reason that it is possible to make a plastic potato resemble Optimus Prime (which you must admit would be enough reason on its own) according to the UN they could also save the world!
This is because they are being touted as the new wonder crop in countries where food is rarer than hens teeth and water harder to find than an honest real estate agent – a few quick facts:

-they can produce starch-rich food more quickly, on less land, and in harsher climates than any other major crop.

-on average, it takes 75 litres to grow 1kg of potatoes, 500 litres to grow 1kg of wheat and 3000 litres to grow 1kg of rice!

-one medium-sized potato can supply over half the recommended daily intake of vitamin C.

-and they are of course very rich in carbs which equal energy.

So there you have it, in 100 years there will be no oil left (unless you feel like paying $100 a litre for it), and the chances are meat will cost more than a new laptop and clean water will cost more than gold, but at least will can all live happily and healthily on a full tummy of spuddy goodness!