Saturday, September 29, 2001

Be Fast, Be Furious

ok, if you've downloaded Fast and The Furious, you can stop reading.

But this movie is GOOD. It's mostly Point Break with cars, but there's a little something in there for everyone.

And unlike Tomb Raider, it doesn't bother to establish a plot.

Hot guys, with hot cars going superfast and under trucks with an awesome soundtrack. Granted, this isn't the brilliance of Moulin Rouge or Shrek, but imho, the best action movie this year.

A little late in coming, but Cats & Dog's is also worth a looksie, the jokes are great, and is kinda remenescent of The Matrix or Independance Day, I'm not sure why, but those are the two movies it reminded me of.

Cats And Dogs: 5/5 little gopher dudes

Fast & The Furious: 4/5

*outies*

Friday, September 14, 2001

Well, well, well

First of all, I'd like to say that the friends, family and people involved in the US tragedy are very much in my heart, thoughts and prayers.

Secondly, I'd like to say I'm rather inebriated at this point in time.

Flatmates had their first real gig tonight, thanks to anyone who might read this that turned up.

It was at Indigo, and went off, I, knew all the words and was 'air-drumming' but considering they practice in my living room that's expected.

Personally, I'm going to advertise any further gigs this band have around Wellington (& N.Z) and I'd like to see anyone who can. Crazywld's the one who looks like he's s'posed to be in ballet shoes.

And I'm the trashed one air drumming thruout and giving hugs after the concert.

Good night guys!! Hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!

Thursday, August 30, 2001

Shit happens and then you get shat on again

Hrm, where to start? Well life never goes well for long does it? There's always a problem of some kind.

My cousin, who is from Auckland and 15, has run away from home, and straight down here, and I'm stuck in the middle, I feel as if I'm being ripped in half, torn between her and her parents, it's hard to do the right thing when you're not 100% sure of what that is.

Work, has been piling up, and i'm not going to be getting any kind of a break until Monday, which means 3 very stressful days of Jurassic Park 3 (which, by the way, sucks) with many stupid Hoyts customers (75% of Hoyts customers suck) asking stupid questions, and then... well I'm going to probably be stuck dealing with things to do with my cousin.... or filling in for one of my best friends who's currently in hospital (another stress).

It's hard to talk and relax, when noone will listen.

Saturday, August 18, 2001

I think Vodafone REALLY like me

Well, I won $10 on my phone, and although this isn't a huge deal, it was definatly something nice.

And now, well now it get's kinda weird, here's an E Mail (abbreviated) that I got tonight:

Dear Kat

Congratulations!

You've been selected as a regional finalist in the Vodafone Million Dollar Question Competition and are now a step closer to winning $50,000 and
being able to give $1,000,000 to a New Zealand charity.

A place has been reserved for you at the Wellington regional finals

What to expect on the day:

It's simple! All you have to do is come along on the day.

When you arrive at the venue your name will be checked off and you will be seated in a classroom-style situation. Once all 75 regional finalists
in Wellington have arrived the MC, Jason Gunn, will run you through the format for the evening.

You'll be given 15 minutes to answer 10 quick questions - with all answer-sheets marked upon completion.

Two correct entries will be selected at random by a scrutineer - and if one
of them is yours, you will go through to the semi-finals being held in Wellington on Tuesday, 18 September. (All entries will be marked and checked by an official scrutineer. You'll be notified on the night whether you've made it through to the semi-finals.)

So, even though it is hosted by Jason Gunn of all people, I think I can handle one night of Jason Gunn if I can win $50,000 y'know?

Oh yeah, and giving $1,000,000 to charity will be damn cool as well :-)

Thursday, August 9, 2001

when you're at the bottom you can only go one way

On Planet of the Apes I guess no one can really write a correct review of this without having seen the original, but this is what I'm about to attempt.

I actually saw this on Tuesday with Crazywld, however I haven't gotten around to writing this until now. The makeup is amazing, the acting is beautiful. The plot however is entirely predictable. I have heard the general plot of the first one (remember, I haven't seen it) and the 2001 version is not only different, but still entirely predictable.

And there is no way in which the movie could have been ended without being pure cheese.

I give it 3/5 little gopher dudes, but I can't remember where the image is, so scroll down the bottom and look at them there :-P

Wednesday, July 11, 2001

before you throw out that old bog roll...

How bored am I?

I was thinking, how much toilet paper is wasted per year, just because the companies insist on gluing the paper to the roll?

So I worked it out

13cm of toilet paper is wasted on every roll by gluing it to the roll.
Multiplied by the 6 rolls per week in a flat of 5.
And again by 52 weeks in a year
There are 75 years on the average person's life.
Then divide that by the 5 people.
60840cm of toilet paper is wasted per person in their lifetime.
This equates to 60.84m of toilet paper wasted in a person's life.

I then went one step further:
If 3.4 million people live in New Zealand that is 27580.8kms toilet paper wasted per year.

Of course I haven't taken into consideration toilet roll variences and the fact that some companies use no glue wotsoever, but still I feel that this is justified by the fact I calculated it for one-ply and many house holds use 2, 3, or even 4 ply.

Now, lets take into consideration the COST. A pack of 12 Budget 2 ply toilet tissue costs $5.20 and contains 220 sheets per roll (if the packaging is to be believed).

This is an average cost of $0.02 per sheet.
Each sheet is 12cm long.
This is 5070 sheets in a person's lifetime.
If you multiply this number by $0.02 you will realise in your lifetime you will waste $101.40 on toilet paper, simply because it is glued to the roll.
Then, according to my calculations, New Zealanders waste $4,596,800 per year on that toilet paper glued to the roll.

Of course, again, I haven't taken into account the cost of the roll, shipping, packaging etc...

Isn't that amazing...

Tuesday, June 26, 2001

tra la la la la

Today, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and anyone in any other categories, I'm gunna rant about Aria Farm Beef Chips.

I highly suggest people in no way buy these little expensive peices of cardboard.

Have you ever had a McDonald's patty? By that I mean no bun, no petty excuse for vegetables, no sauces, just a patty? They taste like watered down cardboard, and so, do Aria Farm Beef Chips.

The chips smell a little like lamb, and taste, well, much like what I'd expect a good meal of fried dog food to taste like.

Needless to say, they are not good, and I do not like them, and they get NO little gopher dudes, which is a worse score then Pearl Harbor (and that's saying something). The reason I say this, is I managed to sit thru the full 3 hours of Pearl Harbor, yet couldn't eat 2 Aria Farm Beef Chips.

On a Pearl Harbor note however; Shrek. , (brilliant movie by the way, reminiscent of The Princess Bride. with it's humor and gets 6/5 little gopher dudes) has out grossed Pearl Harbor in the US Box Office, in fact, Pearl Harbour hasn't even broken even yet (this meaning Ben Afflek, who gets a percentage of the profits of the film, has received nothing for his role yet).

Friday, June 22, 2001

Being poor is the best reason to take care of your teeth

I have no money.

Unfortunately I chipped my tooth today. All day I've thought that I just had something in between my teeth, to try cure myself of this problem I even bought floss!! But now, after a very unprofessional examination with a little mirror and a big mirror, I'm officially screwed.

on the bright side, it doesn't hurt.... yet, but I'm pretty sure it will start to soon.

It's on my top teeth on the inside, and as I brush and mouthwash (although, admittedly I don't floss) reguarly, I can't figure out what caused it (I haven't been in any fights recently and I was eating a soft food at the time of noticing it), probably a lack of milk.

Please send donations to me.

Tuesday, June 19, 2001

Fucked up or what?

I knew politicians were stupid, but this takes the cake.

How can anyone justify letting a natural disaster happen? Let alone one which has happened before!!

I'm sure DOC finds it perfectly reasonable to avoid upsetting local Maori and try to avoid loss of lives with a warning system, something which means traffic flow and trains have 45 minute warning, but that doesn't stop the larger environmental and economical effects it will have. It could disrupt major power pilons along the Desert Road area, cause potentially millions of dollars of damage to the transport infrastructure and possibly leak into the Tongiriro River - causing damage to Taupo's lucrative Trout Fishing market.

Am I the only one left thinking "what the fuck?" I would much rather have the government spend $200,000 and two weeks with a small bulldozer getting rid of the dam, rather then what could be easily millions in lawsuits (it's a preventable disaster, and possibly a future Cave Creek), repairs to infrastructure, and loss in profits from the fishing industry, as well as tourist and travel industries.

So some people get mad, there is no one way to please everybody, it's more a matter of which desision is better for the country as a whole, which will save lives and which makes more sense.

Friday, June 1, 2001

Pearl Harboru

Despite it's big budget, Pearl Harbour does not live up to expectations. Even before I saw the movie I had my first line sorted out, no movie, this hyped up could ever meet the public expectations. Even with this in mind, and trying to have no expectations at all, I still thought this movie sucked.

If you've seen Titanic, then in my opinion, you've seen Pearl Harbour.

Both movies follow the same formula: 75 minutes of love story and background, 75 minutes extreme graphic footage of the event, 30 minutes closing off.

Both have certain scenes in common, such as the sinking of the ship, in Titanic's case this was their money shot, in Pearl Harbour's case not so. In Titanic, there is a scene depicting bodies getting taken out of the water, there is an almost identical scene in Pearl Harbour.

These are only two examples of the many that make the two so similar.

At least Pearl Harbour has a slight twist to the love story, and although it has been done before, fits well into the story line.

The performance of Kate Beckinsale is a highlight of this movie, and does a beautiful job of depicting a nurse torn between two love interests. While Ben Afflek gives a less then stirling performance, Josh Hartnett deserves a mention for his acting, and all three are good for eye candy appeal.

The costumes are often not in tune with the era (1941), and we see Beckinsale's midriff, and is often fitted in more 60's clothing.

The film's money shot, where the Japanese bomb the ship 'Arizona' is spectacluar, amongst all the shouting and screaming, the whole thing gets blotted out into an erie silence as the bomb is followed from the chute, thru 3 floors, into the ship, it shows the reactons of those on board, and is a really great shot in itself.

All in all I give it 2/5 little gopher dudes for the shot and the eyecandy appeal.


Wednesday, May 30, 2001

You don't have to wear that dress tonight

Moulin Rouge. I saw it last night, and I have got to say, it's the funniest musical I have ever seen.

It's worth seeing for the costumes, camera effects and scenery alone. The story line isn't spectacular, and neither is the acting, but the singing and dancing numbers make up for it.

I found it amazing how they managed to include Nirvana, Madonna, and even Sting into a movie set in 1900 and make it seem like it's supposed to be there. The music is all pumped and popped up, but you can overlook that when watching the movie, and it even has a token black man.

Even Kylie Minouge got a cameo appearance!!

The movie is set around Cameron, a playwright, in Paris in 1899 and his experience of love at the Moulin Rouge, a popular night club. It covers the themes of jealousy, love, truth, honor and death, everything you want in a film. It's the kinda film that makes you sing along and laugh quite constantly, even some of the lines come from popular songs of the last 20 years.

Do see it, I give it 3/5 little gopher dudes.


Friday, May 25, 2001

Oh, this can't be good...

It's just turned 6am and I'm online, I'm suffering from a huge case of insomnia, and have the headache from 'Nam. Infront of me I have a bottle of water, bought from the evil StarMart down the road, and I'm trying to be quiet so as not to wake my flatmate's girlfriend who is sleeping in the room next to the computer.

I honestly, feel like shit.

So, I have decided to do a review post....

Movies
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Now I know I've told some people I wouldn't see this movie, and it has to be said I'm not a huge fan of the Rialto (or George Cloony), but this movie had some very good places. The end, in particular, I liked. This isn't a 'I liked the end because it had come' type scenario, it was more for the fact that it is rare these days that you get a definate, good ending. Although it bored me to death at times, this movie gets 3/5 little gopher dudes.



Save The Last Dance
Three Words: Teenage, soppy, shit. (guess which review I wrote last?) 1/5 little gopher dude.




The Dish
This is from the creators of 'The Castle'. It has to be said that I really wasn't fussed on that movie, but this one is carried out so well, and it's actually based on fact. The only thing that I didn't actually like about this movie was the Australian accents. For anyone who has seen the trailor and thought it looked shit, I suggest you actually see it. I give it 4/5 little gopher dudes.



The Mexican
Two of the hottest actors in Hollywood right now, Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt... this movie is worth seeing for it's sex appeal alone I totally enjoyed it. The plot twists so many times, a couple too many say some people, but it leaves you on your toes. My flatmate has compared this movie to 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' and I'd be inclined to agree with him. The movie also involves black and white silent film parts explaining the history of 'The Mexican', a gun that Jerry (Pitt) has been sent to find and bring back to his Mob boss. 4/5 little gopher dudes.



Books
Bent Not Broken, Lauren Roche
Life On The Line, Lauren Roche
Most people have heard about these two books; interviews with the author and snippets from the book can be found everywhere from Talkback Radio, to Womans Day to Holmes. These Books are the life story about the author, the majority of which are set in Wellington. The first book details her struggle from being an abused child, a stripper, sex worker, stowaway and finally a doctor. The second her son's peadiophillia, drug addiction, coming out and bankruptcy. These books read very well and have you glued to them, they're amazing, and utterly breathtaking when you remember that they're entirely true. Definately worth a read, I give them both 5/5 little gopher guys.

Leave Mum Behind Watching Days Of Our Lives

Just a little quote a friend of mine recieved via the miracle of txt messaging while I was on the phone to her that I thought I'd share...

'...And God said "let there be pickles!" And there were. For seven days and seven nights pickles rained upon the earth... but pickle rain prooved impractical'

Well I thought it was funny.....

Oh, and for the record, the mouse count is up to 11.

Sunday, May 20, 2001

Three Blind Mice

Our flat is infested with mice.

We thought it was just one at first, silly us.

The day that finally drove me to go get the mice traps was the day a mouse, chewing on a VERY stale peice of pita bread, woke me up.

I don't know how many people have seen me in the morning, but it isn't pretty, especially if I get woken up by some twat on the drums. My flatmates have gone so far as to describe the quiet in the morning as 'better to let the dragon lie', but I digress.

The mice made a huge mistake waking me up. To get back at them, I cleaned my room, I cleaned the flat, finding a dead mouse on the way. I decided enough was enough. They had been using the space under the sink and under my wardrobe as a house too long! Vengance would be mine.

So after a trip to The $2 Shop, 4 mouse traps were set up around the flat. We soon realised the most effective bait was sultanas, which had been soaked in vanilla essence. With this knowledge, we have killed 6 in the traps thus far.

8 mice have been found dead in total. The first was a young one found under the door. The second, in a mouse trap in my room, then another in my room, then once was beaten to death by my flatmate (Boyacrossthehall) The next was found under the sink, and then another in the same place. Then finally, tonight was a double whammy; two mice found going for the same peice of bait in another flatmates room.

It's fun to kill mice, I'm checking the mouse traps often in hope we have some more... if this keeps up, we're gunna have to breed them to keep killing them!!

Now I'm beggining to wonder... Am I sick?

Saturday, May 5, 2001

Did You Get Up At All?

I think I've lost faith.

I'm feeling spiritually empty. I feel like God is no longer with me, like He no longer rules my life, and other things, stuff like money, and time do instead.

I no longer have any passion for playing drums, for playing worship. It's as if all the joy I used to feel has been sucked out.

I know God is still there, He helps me out of the hard times, pulls me up when I fall, but I also feel like it's very half hearted on my behalf. I'm not playing worship until I can get the spiritual side of my life cleared up, and although I have explained this to a flat mate of mine, I haven't shared the whole situation with anyone until now.

When I was looking for jobs, I was sick of lying to my parents, sick of hoping my loan would keep coming thru so I could pay rent and get food. So I prayed, it was a last resort, and I know it shouldn't have been. My prayers were answered and I dove head first into work, forgetting who brings me these good things in the first place.

Being in the flat I'm in, with who I'm with, I was kind of hoping that the extra support would help, and at least I've found a church, but I don't go with any regularity, infact, I introduced myself, jokingly, to a guy I already knew, as "Kat, the 5th member of The Flat" (because, well, that's how everyone knows us) and he looked at me and said "seriously? Well, uh, hi!"

But instead of feeling supported, and helping the guys, I feel like I'm dragging them all down with me.

I guess this is sort of a confession, I'm sure somewhere in the Bible it says "confess your sins to others" so that's what, I guess, I'm doing.

Sunday, April 15, 2001

Francesa Rudkin Drinks Diet Coke

To put this in an easy and clear format: I've left my course and am working as one of those annoying Hoyts Cinema Attendants in the sparkly blue waistcoats and bowties.

(Hence why I had a Hannibal Preview earlier)

So, why have I not told the world the trials and tribulations of my job seeking etc? Well, for a couple of reasons, one: my mother didn't know until a couple of days ago (and yes, she still does read these columns, just comments under different names apparently...), two: I couldn't be bothered. So now, while I can be bothered I'll give a quick recap of the last couple of weeks and what has been going on in them.

First of all, I gathered many opinions and lots of advice. Then I went on a huge scoot all around Wellington one night and made up my mind.
I then left my course.
I was now searching for a job, any job, as long as it payed money, I would take it.
First of all there was the kitchen hand position, I got a trial, at 5am the next morning. So I went to bed early, got to sleep, to wake up 3 hours later to remember we lived above a pub, and Thursday night (being the night I was trying to sleep on) was the loudest of them all. Needless to say, I woke up with a start at 7am, a huge chorus of 'FUCK' was sung around the house, a phonecall to the company appologising, and I was back on the hunt.
I was now looking for a job, any job, as long as it payed money and had nothing to do with food preperation.
Then I tried StarMart, to be turned down in favour of my flatmate (!!).
Then I was getting desperate, I hated not telling my parents and sitting around the house all day, so I tried two different New Worlds.
Then I responded to an ad in the paper for Hoyts.
I got a New World and Hoyts interview on the same day. I must have been pretty impressive 'cos I got them both.
But Hoyts gives you free movies and previews (all I could think of was "Lord Of The Rings!!!!').
So I took Hoyts.
My mother got tipped off on her birthday about 3-4 days before I was going to tell the p's, another chorus (this time with an encore) of 'FUCK' was sung.
P's are OK with it, I'm working.
I write this column

Easy peasy really. So there you go :-)

I probably should have warned of extreme diary-like content.

Aw fuck it.

Friday, April 13, 2001

An Easter Recipe For You All

While you're wiling away the weekend and feel like MORE chocolate (as who wouldn't) try this. Some people may know if it already, but it's so gooood I thought I'd share it with you all.

Chit Chat Straws

You need:
A cup of milo (the fuller the cream of your milk, the better this tastes)
A packet of your favourite Chit Chats (I recommend the new Chit Chat Snow, Mint doesn't taste great but it works as well)

Method:
Bite off both ends of a chit chat, place one end in the milo like a straw and suck the milo thru, when the milo starts coming into your mouth eat the chit chat. Repeat.

Easy really and SO nice.

For a better milo, make it entirely out of warm milk with just a little hot water for mixing sugar and milo. You can also heat up chocolate milk if you're lazy like me.

Sunday, April 8, 2001

Warning: Hannibal spoilers Within

Well, I've seen a preview of Hannibal (yes, I do realise it doesn't come out 'til Thursday). I must say, Julianne Moore makes a terrible Claris Starling.

Anthony Hopkins' portrayl of Hannibal however, was brilliant, better then Silence of The Lambs in my opinion. His timing, his stance, the way he spoke, it was all art.

The make up effects were spectacular, even if they at some points had the entire audience gagging.

The plot doesn't follow what I have heard the one of the book is, well, at least the ending is different, Hannibal and Claris do not become lovers, and she does not become a cannibal. Thank God, it was bad enough watching a guy eat his own brain (yep, eat his own brain), I don't think I could have stomached watching Claris eat it as well. I barely stomached the rest of it.

I won't give away the entire plot, I'm sure it wouldn't take too much searching the net to find it out, but The Making of Hannibal completely overlooks the importance of a role that isn't even mentioned, and yes, for those who have read the book, there are pigs, they are huge, and it is gruesome.

This movie isn't for the faint of heart (or stomach) and it is definately R18 for a reason, but Anthony Hopkins' portrayl makes it worth seeing.

I missed Jodie Foster :-(

Thursday, April 5, 2001

Please Release Me Mister Man

Isn't it funny how certain smells and sounds remind you of things, places and people you'd forgotten you'd seen, been or met?

For me, the smell of oil paints and turps reminds me of fifth form art. The smell of puke reminds me of my friend Scott's house (where we had a party, and a guy puked all over the floor). The ocean air mixed with a pine scent reminds me of my grandparent's house and so on.

And I think the smell of stale urine will forever remind me of the Limp Bizkit mosh pit.

Certain songs bring back memories as well. I can't listen to 'All In The Family' by KoRn (featuring Fred Durst :-P) without thinking of my Good Bye party... albeit I don't remember much of that particular one. Whereas 'Clown' by KoRn (hmmm noticing a pattern...) reminds me of driving around Rotorua with the windows wound down with music on full volume, money in my pockets, while trying to get alcohol for the back seat (we were underage at the time). Playing a song 'Rain' on the drums, (it's a Christian worship song) reminds me of a mid year camp.

Certain smells and songs remind me of people. When listening to 'Faith' by Limp Bizkit I'm reminded of a friend of mine, Heidi. While the smell of warm, rotting fruit reminds me of about five people, those who know about the incident will laugh, those who don't, well, it's better off not knowing.

I'm never going to be able to sing "I'm bringing home a baby bumble bee" without thinking of BigTaz's 21st either.

Strange what tickles the senses....

Monday, April 2, 2001

Dearest Doris, May She Rest In Peace

The flat car (otherwise known as Doris) has officially died.

She led a good life, she took us where we wanted to go, and took her time doing so, and always made a fuss when there were too many passengers and we were going up a hill.

She was reliable, even though the window-windy-down-things were nowhere to be seen, except for one, which was passed around the car whenever we wanted to wind up/down a window, and the front locks didn't work properly and unlocking her involved opening the boot, climbing thru and unlocking her from there.

She was involved in a crash today, while trustingly carrying home the band gear from church, as well as the groceries. Not knowing that today would be her last day.

Even though she was old, unregistered and not so pretty, she will stay alive in our hearts, not quite forever.

Thursday, March 22, 2001

You Don't Mean It But It Hurts Like HELL

I'm not sure what is worse:
one: Being in a bad mood.
two: Being asked why you're in a bad mood.
three: Being not sure why you're in a bad mood.

I'm not really a person who talks about things deep and meaningful much in real life, I much prefer to keep things light most of the time, talking about my feelings, or generally talking about me... it's just not right.

I think somehow I was influenced by a book I read long ago, during my time with no friends, you have probably heard about it. 'How To Win Friends and Influence People' I only actually remember two things from this book:
one: The sweetest sound in the world to anyone, is the sound of their own name.
two: People like talking about themselves.
So, I tend to talk to people about themselves, and am quite self concious of talking about myself, the exception being if I've done a good job of something, I tell everyone.

And I don't talk about my moods. Not because I don't want to, but I can't. I've trained myself not to.

As for not knowing why I'm in a bad mood... I have a few ideas..

Friday, March 16, 2001

Underwater, Holding My Breath

Yay for best friends reading columns and promptly sending down a big box of fruit and veg :-)

and if anyone can tell me the artist and song of THAT title I will personally send them a chocie fish, I promise.

EDITOR NOTE: I think the friend is Chari and the song was by Soda and called 'Underwater'

Monday, March 12, 2001

I want It, Hug Me Like A Grizzley Bear

10 points for anyone who can tell me the name and the artist that sings the song from which the title was taken.

I was thinking, well, I have been thinking, I have been told in the past that my posts were depressing, so I took action to try and make them happy, the result was boring posts, so here I am, back to my depressing styles.

Is life for enjoying? I think so, so why, I must ask myself do I feel stuck in a rut, doing a course I hate so much words cannot describe, spending my spare time doing nothing much, but at least doing it with friends.

The course, I hate it, the thought of going almost drives me to tears, I'm not interested at all in what they're telling me, and my wings just wish to be free. I want to do something I like, and at this point of my life, I know I won't know exactly what I want for a while yet. My mother's 40-something and has only just worked out what she wants to do.

My free time is spent getting fat, I've got the worst diet ever, I hardly ever eat, and when I do it's either junk food or toasted sandwiches. There's no point going anywhere these days, everything is within 10 steps of me pretty much, there have been a few times where I haven't been out of my flat at all for two days straight.

It's getting to a point where I've just gotta yell out in a big voice "Oi! You! No!" and make myself go out, get a bit of exercise and maybe, just maybe, eat some fruit and vegetables.

I'm constantly tired, I never want to get out of bed, and when I finally do, I just want to go back there an hour or two later.

My life is going nowhere, I'm not enjoying it, I'm not going to kill myself, but I feel it's a time for a change.

Friday, March 2, 2001

Constant, Over, Stimulation, Numbs Me

Woah, I'm on four hours sleep, I've had the most fucked up 24 hours in my life.

I was sitting with Robin and Seth watching one of my numerous videos last night, all is reasonable and normal, until the glass starts breaking. Seth and I freeze to realise the sound is coming from my room. On further investigation, nobody was trying to break into my room, which was good, however breaking glass was falling from the floor above me down onto the varandah outside my window. So Robin gets up, goes upstairs, and the guys room has been trashed. There are huge holes in the windows, heaps of smashed stuff and it's generally not a pretty sight. Robin took off to the bar which we rent the flat off to report it, turns out the guy works there, and his girlfriend was responsible. So there ya go guys.... how much do you trust your girl?

Then, having had 4 hours sleep, I was awakened to find that it's raining..... in my hallway!!! Now this wouldn't be too strange if we were say, at the top of the building, but, we have two floor above us. The rain was coming down, through two floors and into our hall, and onto the carpet we have there, so now it's (the carpet) nailed onto our wall, with five or so heaters going to dry it out before the flat warming tomorrow.

I'm beginning to understand why (1) We have hardwood floors and (2) the rent's so cheap.

Saturday, February 24, 2001

My Own Worst Enemy

Arg, what a night.

It was my cousin's flat warming last night (Friday) and I managed to get through the better half of a 40oz of Coruba.

I don't remember much, somehow I have some scratches on my arms, and I vaguely remember talking to DebXena on my phone.

But at about 12am I had this bright idea that a walk may sober me up, so I wobbled my way down Willis St, down to Manners, where I decided I wasn't sober enough and McDonalds was a good idea (to anyone wondering, I never go to bed too drunk, and therefore don't have hangovers) so one Quarter Pounder Combo later I was swerving my way back up Cuba Street and home.

Having being greeted with the confidence course in our hall (tyres, not sure why they're there, but they are) I stumbled over them, to get a phone call and have to go out again.

So all up, quite a confusing night really.

The Cuba Festival's on, it's like a giant party right outside my house. I've been on a blowup confidence course (you know the ones usually for kids??? *evil grin*), seen some bands, and seen a parade from an awesome viewpoint.... the top of the Bristol Hotel :-)... I love my house.

Sunday, February 18, 2001

And in other news.....

What's your favourite childhood movie? Mine is Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory, so I was rather disturbed to read this:

Satanic Willy (Taken From Woman's Day, February 19 2001)

News from the Just When You Thought it Was Safe to Take Your Kids to the Movies file: Satanic shock-rocker Marilyn Manson is set to star in Tim Burton's remake of the classic children's movie Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory.

The pallid poseur, notorious for using chainsaws, fake blood and fire in his twisted stage act, swears he won't play Wonka as a sweet and gentle candy czar the way Gene Wilder did in the 1971 original. "I really see the movie as a metaphor. I see Willy Wonka as Satan because he presents people with the temptation of picking good and evil, and they all pick evil," says the controversial entertainer who owns the skeleton of a seven-year-old Chinese boy and reportedly keeps a torture rack in his dressing room. No word yet on whether the film's soundtrack will contain subliminal messages.

----

And in other news.... Paul Holmes has been nominated for a Tui award for "Best New Act", what is the world coming to???

Friday, February 16, 2001

A Scene From Psycho

Our shower, is red.

I dyed my hair today, red, not sure how it looks at the moment, it's still wet, I have a feeling it's bright red down the bottom (where it used to be blonde) and a milder red up the top (where it was my natural brown colour).

I honestly am spending my Friday evening doing my hair, rather then going out... I watch a lot of TV1 these days, I want to see two or three films at the Rialto.... am I getting old? I doubt it!

The last couple of days have been fun. On Valentines day I received a phone call, which hyped me up a bit, from an old friend, to which my flatmates were kept amused for a while mocking me about. The next day he and I went out to lunch, walked around the waterfront, did the free things (Te Papa, made fun of French Navy Dudes) and then came home and talked for a while, then he left, the flatties came home and the interrogation began!! (EDITOR'S NOTE: either Blair or Andy, I'm pretty sure it was Andy)

I've been told by Dave, my oldest flatmate, that now I'm flatting with them it's like having four older brothers and they'll wanna meet all my friends.... geez, what happened to the 'do not judge' bit in the Bible? (as all of my flatmates are Christian)

Today was spent doing my favourite thing EVER... spending money. Course related costs came through today so I spent the day with Seth (my famous flatmate, he was part of The Edge promotion, 'Inmates' about this time last year) in Petone getting chef stuff, groceries and hair dye :-P

Have you ever tried to spend $1000?? It's a lot harder then it sounds!! Some of that money's gone on the next 2 week's rent (I'm being responsible for once in my life), some has actually gone on course stuff (the aforementioned chef stuff), which for a student, for anyone who knows a one, is pretty darn amazing!! And of course Cd's (note: Coldplay's Parachutes and Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory are both excellent albums)

So the last couple of days have been rather busy, it's amazing what you get up to once you don't have any television to watch...

Tuesday, February 13, 2001

Pam

I have a friend named Pam.

Pam is insane.

Pam has spent the entire day asking French Navy Guys to marry her. So far, they have not responded. Personally I don't think they're that great, but Pam does, so in McDonalds we let her have the best view of the table of French Navy Guys, and we keep pointing them out to her in town, she hasn't asked any directly, just kinda says it at a reasonable level whenever there's a group of them around.

Pam also touched a complete stranger's dreads in the elevator at Te Papa, then thanked them for an enjoyable elevator ride.

So that's Pam for ya!

Monday, February 12, 2001

Bugger.

First flat fight erupted yesterday, unfortunately it involved me, and I am left feeling like shit. Bugger.

Has anyone ever noticed, walking down Lambton Quay, either in the early morning, midday or evening that there are two lanes of foot traffic? It's almost like a road, in fact it even works by 'staying on the left' it's a strange phenomenon. Anyway, have you ever seen this and wondered what it would be like just to walk down the wrong 'lane'? Well, after I pointed this out to D, one of my flatmates, he took great joy in walking down the wrong one singing out 'Anarchy Rules!' Now this is typical D behaviour, so I wasn't weirded out or anything, but seeing all these suits swerve around the madman saying "Anarchy Rules" loudly has got to be one of the funniest things I've seen for a while...

I don't know, maybe you had to be there...

Thursday, February 8, 2001

The New Digs

Well, we've moved in.

On Saturday, we trekked, with a Surf and a truck thing that was older then me, for 8 hours (yes, 8 hours) from Rotorua to Wellington.

I spent most of this time in the old truck, sitting above the motor and consequently getting a very numb ass.

But that doesn't matter, having arrived, the group hug of the five of us took place and it was about here I realised I was going to actually live with four guys. Definitely a weird feeling being the only girl in a flat of five.

But having unpacked, had all my stuff arrive from Porirua, the obligatory family visits (actually that doesn't sound good, I actually liked them) etc, I finally feel like I have a place to call my own.

So here I am, situated in Cuba Mall, in a room with pretty purple walls, beautiful hardwood floors, almost floor to ceiling windows and balcony's... I love it.

The only bummer so far has been the band practices taken by my flatmates (the whole flat are musios) which didn't sound good when I left for dinner, but once I got back they were sounding very much like Rammstein, minus the deep growly German voice... the boys didn't take to kindly when I told them this... ah well, to each their own.

Shopping for food was a totally different experience, I mean don't get me wrong, it's not like I haven't been to a supermarket, and seen people buy stuff, and I even bought stuff myself when I had the money, but this was the first time I'd bought stuff like cheese, and milk, and soy sauce... and I never fully appreciated how expensive cheese was before now!! But I came in 20 cents under budget, so as long as I can keep it up I'll be fed :-)

There's been no major disagreements yet, the dishes and chores are getting done, the rules are being adhered to, no food is going missing and the rent's being paid, guess we'll just have to see how long we can keep up being extra nice I s'pose :-)

It's so great to be back in Wellington, I was bouncing in the car on the way in, I said to my mother as we came over the Bombays for the Big Day Out that there's a feeling that Auckland has. Well Wellington has one too, but with the exact opposite feeling. I've only actually had one dinner at home so far, the rest have been at rellie's houses, but that's perfect... means I don't have to pay for them :-)

Friday, February 2, 2001

hi ho, hi ho....

Well, tonight is officially my last night in Rotorua for a very long time. So a big Adios to everyone I've seen or met while I've been up here, it's been great meeting you all, but to be honest, this place is a hole, and I have a much better flat in Wellington to call home now.

I have a flat in Cuba Street, and it's just come to my attention that I haven't bragged about it yet.. It's 6 bedrooms, in an old hotel, above a pub, $500 a week between 5 of us, but best of all, the power's FREE!! :-)

So it is there I am destined to tomorrow, to be in the same room with all my flatmates (bear in mind, that although I have seen them all within the last month, we haven't all been in the same room, at the same time for over a year now), to be the only girl in the flat, and to promptly leave to grab dinner downstairs at my favourite Kebab store, have dinner on the waterfront and wander to Mt Vic to visit my grandmother and my aunt. Should be good!! :-)

My mother and I have spent the day working out last minute bits and pieces, I'm contributing quite a lot to the flat (the most valuable items being the Dishwasher, and the beanbag which we sewed up tonight to find the beans were more chips-cum-squashed-packers.) But generally, I can't wait to be in Wellington again, and she can't wait to have me out of her cupboards!!

But mother wanted me to bring something to your attention, and although a little bit has been chopped off in the scan, it's a wee thing that used to hang in my History Room during 5th Form. Take A Look :-)

Saturday, January 20, 2001

Mosh Pit Etiquette

Big Day Out. Great stuff, let me tell you that right now. Where else could you be at the front for one of the best New Zealand bands (Betchadupa), then an hour later see one of the hottest new acts from the UK (Coldplay) from the same vantage point? Where else can you see two great stage shows (Rammstein and Limp Bizkit) within two hours? And where else will someone piss on your leg in the mosh pit?!?!

I'm sorry, but even a mosh pit has etiquette, and the guys behind me were oblivious to this fact.

However nasty that experience was, the concert went off, before Limp started I realised that I had got myself well and truly stuck, and knowing that the only way out (apart from up and over) would only come once they had started, I waited, and waited, and when I thought hope was near, the audience were shouting out "Limp Bizkit! Limp Bizkit!" Rammstein had stopped, and then... Rammstein started up again! ARG! When Rammstein was finally finished (it seems like an eternity when your arms can't move, your legs are tangled around each other and you keep stepping on peoples feet, while trying not to fall over) Fred Durst walked out saying "Ladies and Gentlemen!", and the audience were screaming out "introducing...." I got my opportunity to swim (literally) my way out of the mosh pit, to get an even better vantage point, which involved more air, less sweat and better sound.

It took me exactly one song to get out, and then I started to actually enjoy the concert.

Limp definitely hyped up the audience, played the hits (I was convinced they wouldn't play Faith, and very happy when they did) and did a good job getting the squashed people out of the audience (much better then what I heard Blink182 did anyway).

But as for the earlier part of the day, I did the markets, the food, the Boiler Room, the rides... and drank plenty of water!!

All in all it cost me much less then I had expected and I had a great time.

Thursday, January 18, 2001

cya

I'm off in about 30 minutes, as much as I hate Auckland, I like the bands I get to see tommorrow, so just for those who are interested, I'll be the big girl walking (or stumbling) around in a purple top with a peirced chin :-)

cya then :-)

Wednesday, January 17, 2001

BDO is a-coming

Well on Thursday I'm making the trip to the land of the big-huge-phallic-symbol to stay until Sunday so on Friday I may get bruised, burnt, crushed, sweaty and dirty.

Sounds like fun huh?

But on Saturday I get to stay very still and not move... mostly because I won't be able to but still....

And at the moment I can't say the words "Limp Bizkit" without jumping up and down and squealing like a little girl who just got a Furby for her birthday...

w00p!!

Tuesday, January 9, 2001

A Mission of Superhero Standards

Part 1: Before the Carnage
Intoxico was picked up by her superhero friend XXX-Girl, in the yellow Pornmobile, and was promptly whisked away to H-Town. There was a crisis, Dr Evil was turning 21 and needed help getting over the shock.

So armed with their superhero weapons of alcohol, cigarettes, spots, bad jokes, children’s songs, two decks of cards and amyl they set off to Dr Evil’s lair.

Upon arrival in H-Town, they were thwarted by the evil Pak n’ Save, who refused the card that all XXX superhero’s carry – Amex. But the cheque account saved a messy scene, and the plebs kept their lives … for now.

Proceeded then the superhero’s to Dr Evil’s lair, taking extreme caution (ie: the scenic route) to ensure that no one followed them to the hideout. Upon arrival, they were accosted by two stoned cleaning ladies, one of whom was Dr Evil trying out a new disguise, and the other his heroic sidekick, Sexy Sheryl FemBot.

After a small disaster retrieving the weaponry from the Pornmobile (the bag broke!), XXX-Girl showed off her culinary skills in the hellpit of food preparation, the end result being very spicy chicken, and a divine salad – food for the gods (and superheroes) indeed!

XXX-Girl and Intoxico undertook to explain the story of Dr Evil’s life through visual aids. Photos of him as a small (naked) child; an older brat; and finally his formative years as he became what he is today, were brought forth from their resting places and cellotaped to the walls.

After practising with their weapons to ensure they were finely honed for the battle that evening (and testing again, just to make sure!), the Huanator returned from his top-secret mission (work – superheroes pay rent too, you know). It was now Sexy Sheryl FemBots turn to leave the lair and undertake a personal task -–feeding the kids.

Their new mission, that our four heroes (XXX Girl, Intoxico, Dr Evil and the Huanator) were to undertake, was to confront Pizza the Hutt in a head to head battle to the death. After XXX-Girl’s small skirmish with the nuts, the heroes triumphed, leaving behind the carnage of pizza leavings, pasta sauce, and liquid fudge.

Our intrepid team split into pairs, with Dr Evil and Intoxico on a mission for large chunks of frozen H2O, while the Huanator and XXX-Girl took the Pornmobile in search of a non-recyclable flash-picture recording device. Having retrieved these last two items, our superheroes were ready for the long night ahead.

Stay tuned for the next episode of this heroic adventure …

Part 2: The Carnage
Other superheroes began to trickle into Dr Evil’s lair, as the cards were being prepared for a to-the-death battle of Hockey. Drinks were poured, cigarettes lit, with jokes being withheld until the appropriate moment.

The ferocious battle began! Alcohol levels (in the bottles) dropped, while they rose in the bloodstream of our heroes. Ashtrays filled, the sounds of BINGO, The BumbleBee Song, Ten in the Bed, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, The Alphabet Song, Ten Guitars, Old MacDonald, Mary Had a Little Lamb, and of course, Happy Birthday filled the air.

Laughter filled the room as jokes – baaaaaad jokes – were shared, and as our heroes embarrassed themselves answering the Truth rather than taking the Dare.

The battle died down to a dull roar, and Dr Evil was presented with flowing Champagne as his sister, XXX-Girl, made the speech. Reference was made to the photographs, embarrassing moments in Dr Evil’s life, and sex sex sex! He was then presented with The Key To The City (which all superheroes receive upon turning 21), and it was passed around the room to be autographed.

Finally, Dr Evil could respond to XXX-Girl, and the crowd.

He was pissed (off his nut), but nonetheless presented an eloquent face and non-slurry words as he replied. “You are all my prisoners! You will not be released until you give me as my gift … ONE MILLION DOLLARS!!!” Everyone laughed at this, and told him to get fucked, at which point he sat down and continued to scull champagne.

There was cake then.

Superheroes came and went, and cigarette supplies were getting dangerously low. XXX-Girl and Intoxico undertook to replenish the stocks. After dosing up on amyl, they made the brief walk to Beyond Petroleum, where they encountered the sadistic PoxyMoron. Despite presenting her Amex, which no superheroes receive before the age of 20, PoxyMoron took delight in thwarting their ambitions, and they were forced to return to the lair to retrieve XXX-Girl’s superhero identification card.

Upon return to Beyond Petroleum, PoxyMoron became immediately defensive, as he was not expecting anyone to stand up to his nastiness (it being he suffered from Delusions of Grandeur). Having given proof of identification, and an icy manner to PoxyMoron, XXX-Girl was allowed to use her Amex card and replenished the cigarette supply. After safely stashing the cigarettes in Intoxico’s SuperYellowSatchel™, our intrepid heroes forced PoxyMoron to reveal his identity (he was not wearing the regulation name badge!!). After protests from the sadistic shitbag, he reluctantly gave his name, and the name of his overlord.

XXX-Girl and Intoxico left satisfied, knowing that they had paid PoxyMoron back for temporarily damping the buzz and endangering the success of their mission, as he would spend the rest of the shift fretting about what plans the superheroes had in store for him (Mwah-hah-hah-hah!).

Intoxico and XXX-Girl returned to the lair to discover that few of the superheroes remained (but lots of alcohol). XXX-Girl tried a spot and the buzz was instantly restored, while Intoxico merely lived up to her name.

Upon finding an empty bottle (an easy task), the Huanator proposed a new challenge – Truth or Dare. The challenge was taken up with enthusiasm, but soon an impostor entered their midst. His name was Doris the Drug-Dealing Dyke, and his catchphrase was “Show us yer tits”. He bragged about his conquests, and the superheroes began to realise that he should not have stumbled onto Dr Evil’s lair at all – he was a phony!

Evasive action was taken immediately – the Huanator and Dr Evil retired to the bedroom in an attempt to scare away Doris the DDD. XXX-Girl, Intoxico, the Lovely Leah, Gorgeous Gerald, and Big Gay Chris continued to play, ALWAYS choosing Truth, for fear that the dare would be “Show us yer tits!”

Finally realising that Doris the DDD was settling in, they took a more effective approach, deciding that even superheroes need sleep. They told Doris the DDD that he needed to go home now. Once he was out the door, the super-bitching session began, with our story’s heroes demonstrating their dislike by creating Doris the DDD dolls and impaling them with their swords, all the while creating curses and life-altering effects, to ensure that Doris would never return to the lair again.

And then they went to sleep.

Stay tuned for the final episode of this heroic adventure …

Part 3: After the Carnage
One of the advantages of having super powers is that it’s a breeze to clean up after a party. Liberal application of a broom to the floor, magic cleansing liquid to the shotglasses, and very cold waters to the hangovers, meant that by 9am the lair was returned to normal, and our superheroes began to perk up.

Neurofen and Amyl are an essential part of any superheroes kit, and our four protagonists were no exception, with both being required along with cold caffienated drinks. Unfortunately, the caffienated drinks were not a cold as hoped, as the refrigerator seemed unable to cope with the Huanator’s immense strength, and had unexpectedly died. A fridge corpse is not a pretty thing.



And is at this point we must leave our superheroes, to allow them to return to their day-to-day identities. Do YOU know who they are?

Wednesday, January 3, 2001

So Many Bands, So Little Time!!

The Big Day Out, I'm currently training my bladder so I can drink copious amounts of water with out the normal trips to the bathroom. I'm also wondering how on earth I'm going to see everyone I want to, and keep myself from going insane traipsing from stage to stage almost non stop to fit it all in.

Yes, I took a look at the timetable.

How am I going to fit it all in? I have a huge list of bands in front of me, and as far as I can tell I'm spending my entire day going between the blue and orange stages, which I'm assuming, judging by their acts and the timetable, they will be fairly close together.

But as any concert-goer knows, to have the best time, you must be very close to the front, and to get there, you must be there early. So how on earth am I going to see (in order, morning to night): Foamy Ed, Goodshirt, D4, Fur Patrol, Betchadupa, 28 Days, Powderfinger, Coldplay, Tadpole, Zed, PJ Harvey, Placebo, Rammstein and Limp Bizkit?? And on top of all that I DEFINITELY want to experience the Boiler Room and of course, maybe a trip to the porta loos (allow 30 minutes) and food (allow 1 hour).

ARG! It's going to be hell, but I'm determined that it will be a hugely enjoyable time... even if I'm not 100% sure on how I'll get there!!

Tuesday, January 2, 2001

My Choices Are Half Chance, So Are Everybody Elses

THINGS I HAVE LEARNT IN 2000


  • Just because you invite 100 people, doesn't mean 100 will actually turn up.
  • Putting anything in your ear, smaller then your elbow can result in much pain and an expensive trip to the doctors.
  • Money is evil.
  • You miss your mother the most when you have to do your own laundry.
  • Phone calls become expensive, but if you write a letter, the person you wrote to will ring the day you send it and you'll tell them everything anyway.
  • Cell Phone + Water Bomb/Toilet = Disaster.
  • Always wear sunscreen, no matter how small the area is, a small area with 2nd degree burns, in a mosh pit, hurts ALOT!
  • Generally, if you don't do something for six months (eg playing the drums), when you come to do it again you will SUCK!
  • Always use water when cooking 2 Minute Noodles.
  • Tomato Sauce will improve the flavour of any meal served at a hostel, but only if you like the taste of tomato sauce.
  • A Bechemel Sauce contains milk, flour, butter, an onion and a clove.
  • New Years is much more enjoyable when you get New Years kisses (yes, I got new years kisses!!) :-)
  • Gas flames can set your tea towel on fire.
  • Many things will kill you, the point of life is to live, and not to worry about how/when you will die.
  • Hostel seats are a great source of money after the rugby or the Simpsons.
  • There is nothing funnier then watching 'staunch' guys crying over a rugby result.
  • David Tua needs longer arms.
  • Only Australians would put the Olympic Opening Ceremony on my 18th Birthday.
  • It is possible to go 2 weeks without doing laundry before I run out of clothes.
  • Receptionists know EVERYTHING, they are the be all and end all.
  • Keep in touch with your parents.
  • Catching up with people you haven't seen in a long time can be either painfully annoying and you realise WHY you haven't been in touch in a year, or you swear you'll keep in touch, even though you know you probably won't.
  • Fantisising about killing your noisy teenybopper neighbour is nice, but calling night security means you get sleep.
  • Reading instructions often saves frustration (except in the case of sewing patterns, which are written in another language entirely).
  • When in doubt, have another beer.
  • When in bed, stay there.
  • Drinking Games + Scrumpy's = One of my most embarrassing moments.
  • Being drunk when your 18 isn't as fun as being drunk before that.
  • Anything can be purchased at the $2 Shop.