The Small Boy Conversation

Characters: Boy A = 3 year old, Boy B = 5 Year old, Girl A = Me
Setting: Girl A walking down the street to catch the bus home, Boy A and B playing on scooters outside their house

Boy A: Why do you have a bucket?
Girl A: Because I like it
Boy B: Are they cookies?
Girl A: Yes
Boy B: Can I have one?
Girl A: NO!

Boys scooter off in front of Girl A.
Boys scooter back toward Girl A.
Boy A screams “Cookies” really loudly and longly (is that a word??) as he flies past Girl A.

Moral of the Story: Don’t buy cookies and take them out in public! People are weird around cookies!

My Gorgeous Family

My big brother is over this week so we had dinner the other night at Mum and Dads, here's some pictures:

A Day At The Races

Paul and Me

Clockwise: Me, Fiona, Selena and Danielle

Kaija and Me

The Horses

Was definately a good day despite the rain, lots of my horses won with 2 of them even getting first place!

A whole lot of nothing...

There's so much to write about, this last week has been pretty awesome to be honest. On Friday it was my last day at my assignment to the Academy. It was such a nice day. The wonderful Lynn and Karen made a lovely morning tea for me and gave me flowers and chocolates and Cookie times (The Biscuit that thinks its a Chocolate Bar) and then we went out for drinks after work and it was so much fun. I missed them heaps on Monday morning when I started my next job. But speaking of the next job, it's in such a cool building and the biggest perk for me is that I get to drive my dream car. A 2006 Toyota Hilux Ute, it's even black which is definately the best colour. It's so much fun driving it.

One more story about work, I work at the Holy Grail one night a week doing mostly functions. It's the sweetest job. When it was the Super 14 season I did all the Crusader functions and for the Air NZ Cup I also got to do the Canterbury Rugby functions. This last Saturday night was such a wicked night. The FMX team (Chuck Norris and Ben Franklin) closed off the street outside and did monster jumps and stuff on their motor bikes which I love watching on TV but is even better in real life. Also 48 May played. Juice TV broadcast live which wasn't that exciting but still was fun. I did the VIP function which was easy as and lots of fun. 48 May are the nicest boys ever. They're so polite and friendly and incredibly real. I was talking to Jared (the drummer) and I asked him if he was having fun and he goes "Yeah my life is awesome" and he didn't say it in a I'm-awesome-and-talking-down-to-you way at all. He was just so stoked to be doing what he loves and he was amazed at how lucky he was. And they were all so polite like when I left, said thanks for everything and all that and gave me hugs and kisses. And Blindspott turned up too which was funny. Who knew the Grail was the place to be!

Anyways moving right along! Tonight I let Roko go and play outside and I think I was more nervous than him! He seemed to have fun and was a tad grumpy when I took him back inside. He's too tiny though and if a car came along they wouldn't see him! I know I know...I'm an overprotective mother.

Ok that's enough from me.

My Wee Boy

This is my beautiful baby. This is a picture of him the first day I got him so he's not looking very happy but he's cheered up heaps and is getting quite big already!

Big developments for him being that he has started purring and last night even managed to sleep the whole night without waking me up to play by scratching and biting me.

Also he adventured outside today without being encouraged to and managed to get a whole metre and a half away from my flat before running straight back inside. Hasn't quite mastered being outside without having his belly on the ground cos he's scared but he's still very little so there's no rush for him to play outside.

He's so funny eh.

A new addition to the Brown Family

I'd like to proudly announce the arrival of Rokocoko Brown. Yip I got a kitten. I am absolutely in love. Especially right now when he's asleep on his back on my knees while I type this. He is just so cute and relaxed. He's called Rokocoko after of course Joe Rokocoko cos he's black and fast. Well very dark brown. I thought about Sambuca or Asterix or Sivvy (Sivivatu, also an all black) but Rokocoko (Roko for short) just fits him best. He is 5 or 6 weeks old so very tiny. He's fluffy and just so cute. Funniest moment so far would be when he found the "other cat" in my mirror. He spent probably 10 minutes with his back arched and tail fat frozen to the spot staring down that other cat. I actually almost wet myself.

I missed him heaps at work today so came home at lunch time to see him and I'm so glad I did cos he had got himself stuck behind one of the chairs in my lounge. He's not so smart but so cute. Also his favourite toy appears to be his litter box (which luckily he does know how to use) and so he spends hours playing in. Second would have to be Pauls shoes whether he is wearing them or not. He doesn't like my shoes so much cos his claws get stuck on them and he feels like they're attacking him back!

Honestly cats are the best thing eh. They're so entertaining and there's nothing like a cuddle from a cat.

I had to take him to the vet yesterday because he has a cold (yes cats get colds and conjuncivitis) and he was so freaked out in the car until he found the back of my neck so he spent the most part of the trip cuddled into my neck. Must have looked very funny seeing a girl driving along with a tiny kitten on her neck.

Any how enough waffle about Roko. Catch ya later!

The Undie 500

I think I just waved goodbye to one of the funniest things I have ever seen. Paul and his flatmates Si, Ingy and Moira and some other friends are going on the Undie 500 today as KFC. Their van is painted like a KFC box with a big "tub" of KFC on the top. In the van are people dressed as a drink, chips, Colonel Sanders and 4 chickens. Moira is Colonal Sanders and Paul, Si, Ingy and Greg are chickens which means they are covered in golden syrup and feathers and they have red gloves on their heads. It's so funny.

The Undie 500 for those who don't know is the Canterbury Uni's road trip in which you must be in a vehicle that is worth less than $500 and there's prices for the best decorated. It's very funny.

Anyhow now I have to go and clean up all the feathers that are absolutely EVERYWHERE in the house!

Despite popular belief

....I am still alive.

Today and recently I've been thinking about friends. Close friends. I think there gets a point in a friendship for me when the person loses their gender. It's no longer about them being a guy or a girl but just that they are someone who loves me. They don't expect anything from me. And they know me.

Maybe right now, to me anyways, real friendship isn't about what you do or how often you talk or when you do talk what it is that you say, it's not about what gender you are or where I am in life but just about knowing each other.

I texted a couple of people that I consider this type of friend recently. I said I missed them and then it felt like, even though we're in different countries, we kind of sat in silence together which is what I wanted. There's nothing quite like sitting in silence with a friend and they know you're unhappy but they don't try to fix it with words or distractions. Them just being there is all that I need.

I don't know if I'm explaining this right. I hope so.

You'll Never Guess

What I'm supposed to be doing right now. That's right, studying. Well I would be but Gilby took my pen so technically I can't. I just took a break to read blogs and it sounds like everyone else is the same as me! but by 4.30 this avo all will be over for me!!! Can you tell I'm excited?

Gilbys back with my pen. better do some work!

In Her Shoes

Lilly has gone. Melbourne has become so much cooler now. I miss her heaps.

I watched In Her Shoes just after she left and there's a line in the movie that fits me and her so well. "Without her I don't make sense".

What am I going to do without her?

A Sharks Tale

On Tuesday my friend Danielle and I went to the pier. While we were there one of the fisherman caught a shark. A real live shark. It was pink and grey and purple. It wasn't huge, about a foot and a half we think. When the man put it on the ground it tried to get back into the water but it couldn't. It went swish swish. If it had arms and legs it would of been ok but it didn't have arms and legs cos it's a shark.

Results

Today I got results from my first completed degree paper. Technically I'm well through my degree but this is the first paper I've done as part of it. Anyhow I got an A-. The geek in me has resurfaced.

One Year On

So today it is a year since I moved out of home. It's been a long year. It feels like it was an important year for me but then every year feels important so maybe it's just cos it's the most recent I've lived through. It also means it's nearly a year that I've had this blog. Who knew I'd stick at it this long!

I don't really have much to say, I guess just that I am glad it is now and not a year ago.

Cos all the cool kids are doing it...

Seven Things To Do Before I Die
1. Build my own house
2. Be Debt Free
3. Travel to places I've only seen in books
4. Wake up in the morning and be satisfied with who I am
5. Be old and not have any "what if's"
6. Be old and still best friends with Lilly
7. Get back into Youth Work

Seven Things I Can Not Do
1. Kick a rugby ball through the posts (Paul will teach me one day)
2. Watch blood and guts movies (ie saw, hostel etc)
3. Sing! (Thanks for pointing that out Paul)
4. Play an instrument
5. Remember the names of all the Crusaders despite needing to know them for work.
6. Eat raw tomato, I'm sorry I just don't like it, I don't care if it tastes just like the Watties Sauce I'll eat! I just don't like it.
7. Actually sit down and do an assignment when I'm supposed to.

Seven Things I Say Most Often:
1. True
2. Real
3. I love you!
4. You're my favourite
5. Can we have takeaways?
6. Sure!
7. No Worries!

Seven Books I Loved Reading:
1. Any of the Harry Potter books (espcially the Prisoner of Azkaban)
2. Lord of the Rings trilogy
3. Anything by John Grisham
4. Autobiographies of pop stars
5. PS I Love You by Cecelia Ahern (actually anything by her)
6. Baby Names books - with the meanings and all that, they never cease to entertain me
7. Anything by Marian Keyes (How funny are Irish authors??)

Seven Movies I Would Watch Over and Over Again:
1. The Chamber
2. Sweet Home Alabama
3. Lord of the Rings
4. Two Hands
5. Tintin - any of the episodes
6. The Life of David Gale
7. Romeo and Juliet - Baz Luhrman Version (actually anything Baz Luhrman does except maybe not Strictly Ballroom)

Seven People I would like to meet for lunch:
1-4. My Grandparents
5. Eminem
6. Esther - From the bible
7. This is a little morbid but the babies I'm related to that have been lost. How cool to meet them and say hi and get to know them.

A sad weekend

It has been a sad last few days. On Friday a very lovely lady died (Mum writes about it better then I can). And then yesterday a friend of mine lost one of his close mates. These times are hard to understand. I don't know what to say.

Is this guy serious??

Today in class (the one I went to only half of and should still be in right now) Bill Gates came up in conversation. This is not surprising. I'm doing a business and computing degree. Never mind. The conversation went something like this: Trademe getting site of the year last night, it's not a nz site anymore, moan moan moan cos apparently that makes it not as good (another sore spot), Sam Morgan selling it for $700 million, Gareth Morgan giving away $47 million, Great guy, Bill Gates gave away $4.4 billion (or something similar, do we really need to argue details when we're talking billions??). Anyhow, the guy next to me goes something along the lines of: yeah but how many billion does he have, that will be nothing to him so what's the big deal.

Is he serious? Why is he critisising a guy who has given away $4.4 billion?? Do you think the people who recieved that money are complaining? Did anyone else see that Bill and his wife got joint person of the year with Bono in Time Magazine? If Bono gave away $4.4 billion would you think he was a bad person just cos he kept some of his hard earned cash to himself? Is it because Bill made his money in business and not by entertaining people? Is it cos he's a computer geek and not an (to some people) attractive musician who wants to save the world? Cos he's not loud and out about his trying to save africa that it makes what he does less? Cos he donates quietly and doesn't get heaps of press for it does that make him bad?

I'm not sure I'm getting across how fustrated I am. It took all my strength not to just shake the guy! In the end I said "lets just remember he gave away $4.4 billion and that makes him a great guy and when (I wanted to say until instead of when) you can give away $4.4 billion I'll consider you a great guy".

I want to know how on earth this guy made Bill Gates giving away $4.4 billion a bad thing?

And while we're at it why do so many people on my course say "Microsoft is just out to make money" like it's a bad thing? Seriously! What business isn't out to make money? If it's not making money it's not such a good business. Good on them for doing it so well!

Apparently I'm not so good at catching...

I broke/sprained my finger last night playing netball. Not such a smart thing to do! It's very sore and and fat and a funny kinda blue colour which makes Kate feel sick everytime she looks at it. And the doctors aren't even sure if it's actually broken or sprained because there was a "shadow on the xray". Was very annoyed to spend 2 and a half hours and $50 on an xray that couldn't actually tell me anything and then they had to cut my ring off! The ring I'd worn since the first road trip I went on with my girls from school and just last Wednesday night I was teasing them that I was the only one that wore it anymore and now not even I do. Infact mine isn't even wearable anymore. And cutting the ring off hurt so much because my finger that didn't want to bend had to be bent.

But in good news I got back an essay today which I thought I had done really badly in. I'd left it to the last minute, I hadn't gone to the main tutorial for it and I'd started only a day or so before hand and then I got second in the class for it. Top mark was 71% and I got 70%. So that makes my day much better.

And on Friday I graduate at the Town Hall with my Diploma in Information and Communication Technology. It's gonna be so much fun. Nas is coming back down from Wellington for it and it's just going to be an awesome day. Also Lilly is graduating as well. It's so random that yet again a major event in our lives is at the same time. Will be a good day.

Better go, got work to do which I'm putting off.

Sports

I haven't written cos I don't have much to say. Life is just tec, work, home. That's about it. Have been very good recently and been catching up with people who I haven't seen in ages. Still loads of people I need to see but at least I'm working through my list.

On Monday night I started playing indoor netball. I'm playing again tonight which should be interesting. I got into it through one of the security boys at work. It's kinda funny playing netball with some girls and then about 4 bouncers. They are much better then me though but it's still funny seeing big guys playing netball. My flatmate Moira played with us on Monday as well.

This is such a rubbish post. Can't believe how bad I am at writing at the moment. My exciting thing of the day is that after work finishes (at 2) I'm going to get some more colour put in my hair. Hope it works how I want it!

Ok enough blah blah blah

And the answer is...

They're all very good ideas people but no you're all wrong. What they did was put mirrors on either side of the elevator doors at each level and the complaints stopped. All the people needed was something to do and now they could see what they look like, fix their makeup, clothes etc and so they didn't mind waiting anymore. Amazing eh!

What's the Solution?

This is a true story. If you can think of a solution comment it and I'll post what they actually did in a few days.

There was a building in Manhatten that had 100 floors. The people who worked in the building were complaining about how long it took to get lifts to their floors every day. There were several complaints every day and so they decided that something had to be done...any ideas?

Shopping

One of the things I bought while I was in Aus was a tshirt for my nephew. I think maybe it's the best thing I've ever bought. On it it says:

"If you think I'm cute you should see my Aunty".

Summertime and the living is easy....

It's been so long since I wrote. It's been a very busy summer with loads of good things and I guess a few not so flash ones! I'm sitting on my brothers computer in the beautiful and hot melbourne. Sharyn and Simona left this morning and Paul and Dippie fly out tonight. It's nice having a house to myself and I don't have to think about work or tec or jobs to do. I can do whatever I want. And so later I'm catching a tram into town, doing some (more) shopping, meeting up with my friend josh (from school) and just relaxing. It's gonna be so nice.

This summer has been very different to what I had planned but has been so good at the same time. About mid november last year I got glandular fever and as I wasn't sure how sick I was gonna get I stayed in Christchurch instead of coming to Melbourne to work. I got a job at the Holy Grail (Paul works there as well) and so I've been working late nights and sleeping all day for most of the last couple of months. But I have to say as much as it gets very hard sometimes the people we work with are the loveliest I've met in a long time. It's like going out with my mates every night and getting paid for it. There's obvious down sides to working in a bar but I think that the friends I've made and the laughs that we've had make up for them. Even working New Years was probably one of my best nights. We have the coolest bar staff and the bouncers (sorry "security") are so good to us and would do anything for us.

Well I better go...got to go sit in the sun and do nothing! (also I can't think of anything to write) See you soon!