Ionasphere

Part two: Holiday in Queenstown

2012-01-27T23:40:00.000+13:00

So we decided to stay at the Novotel. It was lovely.

Me being silly.

Once we were all sussed, we started exploring. We went to Vesta Gift and Design Store which is also an adorable little cafe. The building is an original residential building in Queenstown and has only been minimally restored so that it retains all its original fixtures and charm.

Outside...

Customers can sit in the glass house and have coffee. It would be awesome on cold days when you want to sit outside and admire the lake.

Inside... Explanation of building is in photo below...

I absolutely love how the whole history of the building is preserved--even the water damage from lake flooding.

Awesome lamp. I want one.

On display is all this amazing artwork for sale.

Then we went on the beach.

And I took them to the beach house cafe...

I recently discovered that the crown on top of the beach house cafe was originally put there in honour of the monarchy.

Yum yum cherries for sale on the footpath in Queenstown. I love summer down south!

At some point we went to the French inspired cafe called Solera:

At this restaurant they sold a $10.00 lunch that consisted of chicken kebabs, a salad and cous cous. It was very nice.

Mum had a mochachino.

My Flat White coffee.

My outfit by the way.

Later that day, we went to Frankton and had lunch at The Coffee Club. Mum ordered us iced coffee which was delicious.

Doesn't Nef look good in that hat?

So here are some of the dinners that we had at the Novotel:

Mum's Indian inspired dinner.

Nef had a steak.

And this was an entre of gnocchi.

I'm not exactly sure what everything is anymore...I've waited a bit too long to do this holiday post and the details are no longer clear. Oh well. At lease you can appreciate the pictures.

Dessert. According to memory it was a fruit tart with ice cream.

This was creme brulee with biscotti.

So yeah, that's another post done. Will do a final post some time soonish with all the rest.

So much to blog about!

2012-01-22T23:48:00.000+13:00

I might do our holiday post over a few days because I don't think I can manage with all the photos I've taken...most of which is food, but we'll see how it goes.

Travelling from Wellington to Queenstown.

THE JOURNEY.

The motel we stayed the night in before our flight was really nice. They picked us up when we arrived at the airport bus terminal and dropped us back the next day.

Room at Airport Motor Lodge. At least, that's what I think its name is...

View out the window.

We went to MOY∑E∑ TAVERNA. It is this lovely restaurant selling authentic Greek cuisine. It really was epic food.

Went here for dinner. It was a gorgeous Greek restaurant.

Greek Orthodox church across the road. Mum took a fancy to it.

So, how the ordering system works is that you choose a variety of courses that you share with your dinner companions. It is a very family-oriented service style.

Our first selection was: Melintzanosalata (garlic bread and eggplant dip).

Garlic bread. So good.

Garlic Bread with eggplant dip.

I had Ginger ale.

Weird but cool ice cubes....I mean ice spheres.

This salad was amazing! It's called Lahano which is a cabbage and mint salad. Nef is going to try recreate the recipe when she gets home.

Next: Dolmanthes (stuffed vine leaves). Mum especially enjoyed them. It consists of rice wrapped in vine leaves.

I know they may not look spectacular but trust me, they are good!

And then: Spanakopittes (spinach pies).

And the meat dish of the night: Souvlaki Kotas which is char grilled chicken kebabs.

Then the dessert which is a Baklava. A baklava is pastry layered with a nut mixture--it is very nice.

Then I had to try the coffee--of course. I do believe it is made on the stove in the traditional manner. It looks quite strong (which it is) but not to the Short Black extent. They served it with a bit of Turkish delight which was nice.

Brand Caffe Molinari, which I do believe is an imported brand.

Me sampling. I know I look extremely rough but you would too after that trip.

Okay, so then the next day we went by plane to Queenstown and arrived at approximately 10:30. We took the Franklin bus to town then we roamed around the Saturday market--it was a stunning day.

These wee houses are constructed by hand and with glue. They're so beautiful.

I took mum and Nef to the Cup & Cake, which is one of my favourite places in Queenstown. Mum bought a box of six cupcakes which we ate later at the hotel.

I saw this car and desperately wanted it.

Then for lunch we decided to try out "Devil Burger". I quite enjoyed it and was full for hours afterwards.

I had the Devil's Staircase. Yum.

Nef and Mum had "Today's Special".

Nef and Mum's room at the Novotel. It was lovely.

Then we ate the cupcakes. SoOo good!

Okay. That's all for now. You won't believe how much effort it was just to do that small amount of photos. Sorry if some are upside down, I would fix them but it would take ages and I really just want to get this post out. It's been sitting in my draft box wayyyyy too long. Will document the rest at another date.

An exciting day (not).

2012-01-03T21:45:00.000+13:00

Went to a cafe then helped paint the new fence in the backyard. At least it was productive.

So the day started with me spending ages putting on nice makeup for my passport photo...turns out the photography studio is closed since it is still only the 3rd of January. Really annoying but I should have expected it. *sigh*sigh*sigh*.

Mum and I toddled to Roam Cafe. I had a cranberry panini and mum had a salmon pizza. Unfortunately the salmon had a bone which got stuck in mum's throat and she still can't get it out...she doesn't want to go back because she's annoyed.

I hope it comes out soon, she was in quite a bit of pain. Cafe pictures below:

A copy of Reflections Cafe mirror wall.

Vintage brass (I assume, maybe copper) paneling on the counter which had been salvaged from the old building's roof after extensive renovations.

Pretty nice effect on counter. It was a good idea.

Painted world map on the wall with pins of customer home countries. Another idea from Reflections Cafe.

The work to renovate this building is extensive and very impressive.

They use vintage tea cups...again, another idea from Reflections Cafe.

Evaluating Roam generally I would say it is okay. The food, staff and atmosphere were fine although all aspects could do with improvement.

Now here are some photos of the family painting. Yes, it became a family activity.

Dad stirring paint. Such technique!

iPod dock for entertainment.


Assistant 1.

Assistant 2.

Entertainment.

Entertainment / audience.

Hard at work but being sun smart about it.

One side of one fence complete.

A well deserved munch next to the beloved fence.

Ah well. That's all for now.

Signing off.

★✩✮ Happy New Year ✮✩★

2012-01-01T00:01:00.000+13:00

Okay, so let us review last years goals.

~~Go to Makeup Artistry school.~~ DONE!
Write a story. At least one & finish it. Damn. Didn't manage.
~~Keep in contact with my close friends.~~ And I sent a heap of cards to my relatives!
~~Practice illustrative type.~~ Yep. Done some practice. Could do more though.
~~Do the Diploma of Hospitality Management.~~ Completed my first semester. Woop woop
Complete defensive driving course. Didn't manage.
Get my full drivers license. *sigh* Didn't manage.

Four out of Seven. Not too bad I suppose.

So, 2012 is the year of the Water Dragon. How exciting! Over the last few days I've been deliberating my New Year Resolution (as you do for the month of December). Here it goes:

Go overseas for my hotel internship. Maybe London? Yes please!
Be more social and exploritative. (<-- not a word I know, but I need something that fits...something like that word).
Write a story.
Be more regular with blog updates.

This year mum has decided to have a FISH theme inspired by Gordon:

Wild, huh?

Don't get me wrong, it is a very sedate party and you don't even need to stay to midnight. Woop woop. So the party schedule consists of: entrees, watch the River Monsters DVD by Jeremy Wade, mains and then dessert. Party at midnight: Optional. So yeah. Here's the photos.

Decor.

Par-Tay hats!

Serviettes. Cute, huh.

Entrees.

What I chose to eat.

Salmon vol au vent.

Tuna mold courtesy of Mrs. A.

Sushi.

Rollmops. Yuck.

River Monsters interlude.

Mains.

Potatos.

BBQ lamb.

Roasted mushrooms. Yuck.

Garlic bread and kebabs.

What I ate. I was already full from candy...

Salad from Mrs. A.


I made coffee. Yeah, it's crap, don't judge, it was on a home espresso machine. It was torture.

Dessert I ate. Homemade ice cream. Melted chocolate. Cherry sauce.

Warm cherry sauce.

I'm not sure...

Melted chocolate.

Homemade pavlova by Mrs. F.

Homemade ice cream by mum.

Good food. It was really nice. Now we are waiting for midnight.

Happiness to everyone! I wish you the best for 2012!

Edit: Look-it! 'n't it trippy!

Christmas Pressies!

2011-12-27T20:12:00.001+13:00

From Mrs. A.

I also got a matching candle.

A jewellery roll.

A pretty kimono-inspired jacket.

Also from Mrs. A.

Not the best photos but...meh...better than nothing. Also went to the second hand store and scored me some beautiful new scarves in good vintage condition!

I love the simplicity of this teal polka dot scarf.

★✝♥ Time with Family ♥✝★

2011-12-25T22:32:00.000+13:00

Haven't got anything to really say. It was a simple Christmas with my family. Got up late and opened some presents. Mum and dad are so wonderful and still buy me and Nef presents even though we'd be quite happy without them.

After that, we went out to our family friends for Christmas lunch. It was highly decadent. I will try to post some pictures of my Xmas pressies. Unfortunately I assumed that there was a spare iPod cord at home, I didn't take into account that I might not be able to find it. In conclusion, my convenient point-and-shoot camera isn't available so I'm gonna have to use the SLR.

Bye for now.

I'm a part of history!

2011-12-23T13:36:00.001+13:00

My flight JQ294 is the first Jetstar flight from Queenstown to Wellington. As a celebratory gift Jetstar gave everyone on that flight a cute little cupcake in one of those Chinese takeaway boxes. How nice!

Guess what I'm eating...

2011-12-22T21:20:00.001+13:00

Some more photos on my iTouch. Tinkered with via Camera+ App.

And this is my nify lookout spot with the convenient car seats.

The view from my sitting spot.

That'll be my last post in Queenstown for a few weeks 'cuz I'm COMING HOME. Excitement!

Watch out Twinkie! Cuddles galore on its way!

Schools out

2011-12-19T12:30:00.001+13:00

Yep. Finished my first term.

YAY!

I'm so happy all the exams and practical tests are over. I was quite anxious especially for the lunch where we had to do semi-silver service, which is an element of fine dining. I had to serve four customers from the St. Moritz hotel--nerve wracking much?

So, pretty much I kept my Order of Service document in my apron and did all the steps PLUS I went through the extra effort of wine matching the food so that the term 5 students could get feedback as part of their assignment. I can honestly say, not many people did that because it is extremely confusing remembering who ordered what, who's first and which side to serve them from without having to remember which specific wine goes with each dish.

I was quite pleased with how it went. As far as I know, I did everything required. I carried three dishes to the table and also cleared three dishes for every course. I adjusted the cutlery according to what they ordered and I did pretty well especially considering the teachers were all over the place in regard to the wine. I was so irritated with the disorganisation in regard to the wines because firstly the teachers involved with that were late so they could only give us a very brief summary of the wines, then there wasn't enough and they kept informing us about what substitute to give, which eventuated into a convoluted mess. Conversation as follows:

Me: "So, our wines today are Olssens Pinot Noir or Heart of Stone Sauvignon Blanc."

Customer: "We'll have the sauvignon blanc."

I go off to get drink but...oh no! There isn't any. Run off to find teacher. Teacher says to offer the Pinot Blanc. So back I toddle to the customer.

Me: "We're out of the sauvignon blanc but we have pinot blanc."

Customer: 'That's fine."

Off I run again to get the pinot blanc but...oh no! There isn't any. So I'm getting exasperated at this point when the teacher informs me we do have the Heart of Stone Sauvignon Blanc but it's five minutes away for some reason. >> Back I go to the customer.

Me: "We don't have any Pinot Blanc but we've got the sauvignon blanc again but it's five minutes away. To be honest, I don't know what's happening with the wine."

Customers seem to be understanding. Who really knows though. The whole escapade makes me look like an idiot.

*sigh* never mind.

Oder of Service. Scrunched up because I kept it in my apron for quick referral.

The menu, also from my apron. What's up with them using Bradley Hand?

The complimentary glass of wines available for customers.

My notes on which wines go with which dishes. So tricky and such an additional stress to the lunch.

My docket of their orders. When each course was done I'd strike it out.

Well that's it for now. I'm sitting in my room waiting for Friday to come around. I've got the whole first season of TRUEBLOOD to watch. My sheets are on the line drying:

And I'm going to get my room all cleaned and ready for next term. I'd better go see if they're dry yet.

By the way, check this out:

Pretty cool, huh? 9999 pageviews!

Makeup Post

2011-12-11T13:34:00.001+13:00

My makeup on Saturday. Here's a better jpg verson:

And for the Lodge Xmas dinner I did my make-up using shimmery white, gold, brown and lots of liner--albeit, not as much as I usually wear...

And here's a better version:

A dusting of gold on cheekbones. I even curled my hair. I feel like such an idiot taking photos of myself but I hate washing my make-up off and having no memento. So that's it. Enjoy this post.

Ok. Today will be a day of study.

2011-12-11T12:30:00.001+13:00

After I've had my pancakes of course!

I went to church this morning. They're well on the way in counting down till Christmas. I can't believe how fast time flies. Seems like only a few weeks ago I was in Auckland studying makeup.

Meh. I shouldn't think about it so much.

I hope Van is having a great time in Argentina...haven't heard from her in a few days and I'm extremely curious about what she's up to.

Friday R & R

2011-12-10T22:11:00.001+13:00

"Group Headquarters was alarmed, for there was no telling what people might find out once they felt free to ask whatever questions they wanted to. Colonel Cathcart sent Colonel Korn to stop it, and Colonel Korn succeeded with a rule governing the asking of questions...Under Colonel Korn's rule, the only people permitted to ask questions were those who never did. Soon the only people attending were those who never asked questions, and the sessions were discontinued altogether, since Clevinger, the corporal and Colonel Korn agreed that it was neither possible nor necessary to educate people who never questioned anything." -- Catch-22

I really needed to get out of the Lodge and since Friday didn't have many lectures I went off for ten hours by myself. Firstly I went to the library and got some books:

Poe's Tales of Mystery & Imagination

Catch-22

After that, I went on the Million Dollar Cruise around the lake (only $25.00 for 90 minutes!). It was beautiful. Here are some photos from my trip.

~~Below is a few videos of my lake trip so you can sort of feel how I felt.~~ Or not, uploader is not cooperating and I think it'll eat all my internet.

Then I went and sat at the lake beach observing as people literally cooked themselves in the sun. After that, I went back to the Beach House cafe, speaking of which, the day after I visited last time an article about it appeared in the Mountain Scene. Talk about serendipitous!

I hope the quality is okay, I just photographed it.

So I had another coffee (a Flat White) and this time it was awful. The first sip I shuddered and almost gagged. The second sip was to make sure the first had been as bad as I thought. I wrote a note on a receipt and left it on the saucer then left. That's the first time I've ever walked out on a bad coffee, I usually feel guilty and drink it irrespective of taste. My note said:

"This coffee is terrible. Clean your machine, change your barista or check your beans because its doing you no favours."

As you can see, as well as tasting bad, it's confused as to whether it is a Flat White or a Latte.

So then I went to Subway for something to eat and then off to Puss in Boots at the cinema. Loved it, however now I miss Twinkles. When I get home she's gonna get the life cuddled out of her. After that, I sat on the beach and watched the sun set while reading Catch-22.

That's enough! I spent way longer than I intended on this post so I'm going to bed now.

Toodle-oo.

Fire Alarms

2011-12-09T07:55:00.001+13:00

Okay, so we had a fire alarm at 11:30 last night. The third one we've had since I've been at QRC.

The first alarm was accidentally set by people playing with fire in their room. The second was an actual drill and the third I'm not entirely sure what happened, but I've heard someone accidentally knocked a fire alarm.

Each time this has occurred I have been sleeping and wake up extremely disorientated.

I had gone to bed at about 11pm last night and I fell asleep right away until the alarm went off. I didn't know what to do (since it was at night and I'm so used to day time drills) and I didn't particularly want to go out in my pajamas. I did though, I put my coat and boots on and tramped out to the car park. Then the fire engines came through and all of the little firemen went in to investigate.

Once the all clear was given we tramped back in for bed. This time I had difficulty going to sleep...grrr! I was having such a good snooze before the alarm! But I am grateful there wasn't a real fire although I think students should be more careful! The fire service in Queenstown are volunteers so all of them would've had to have jumped out of bed and rocked up Fernhill. It's getting to be embarrassing!

Anyway, that concludes my rant. Here are a few photos that were on my iTouch.

So here's a picture from last Sunday. Isn't the view absolutely stunning? I took this with the free panoramic application DerManDar. Pretty awesome app if I say so myself. All you do is move the camera and it takes consecutive pictures which it puts together for you. So here are more scenic photos: (Keep in mind the resolution isn't too great, it was taken with my iTouch).

And here are some more creative photos using the free Instagram app.

The beautiful church organ at St. Peters Church.

Windows at St. Peters Church.

Lupins and Foxgloves which grow everywhere here.

The Remarkables Park at the Events Center in Frankton.

At Events Center in Frankton.

Okay. My final bit of news is that yesterday was the cricket competition with Hospitality vs. Adventure Tourism (ATM) students. Since I missed a cafe shift (because of my swollen eye) I was there in the BBQ stall to make up my time. Pretty much we set up, helped prep the food as best we could, served alcohol and then did all the dishes. It was quite a long afternoon but pretty fun. The ATM students won the game (unfortunately).

There was a really, really nice potato salad.

Absolutely tons of refreshments, beer and wine.

BBQ Buffet.

In the distance Hospo vs. ATM cricket game.

The awesome weather.

The Remarkables in Frankton.

Back of house? Errr... Back of tent?

So yeah, that's it. Only one more week of exams and we'll be done for the year! I may blog again before then...who knows.

Coffee time!

2011-12-03T11:59:00.001+13:00

I'm sitting in this adorable little cafe right on the edge of the lake. It is a combination of vintage nautical elegance and steam-punk chic. I really like the ambience and the stunning view outside the window.

I adore the chandelier! Here are some photos so you can all enjoy the experience.

In the background of this photo you can see the Earnslaw, Queenstown's iconic boat that travels the lake everyday. It's quite a contentious issue because she is a steam boat meaning she pumps a lot of pollution into the air from burning charcoal. But how could they not have her in action?...she's been here forever and is the same age as the Titanic.

I'm having a latte here. The coffee brand is "Hummingbird"; never heard of it so I might look it up later. Taste wise, the coffee is decent but as to the barista capturing the essence of the latte--epic fail. Unfortunate. The surface was so bubbly and thin I was unable to transform the blob on the top into anything nice.

Anyway, that's all for now. Just a mini update. I'd best get back to the lodge it's gonna rain again *sigh*.

My excuses...

2011-11-29T08:11:00.001+13:00

Here's the reasons I haven't blogged properly in...ages...

Firstly I bust my knuckles on the left hand doing room service deliveries. Pretty much the space was too small and the tray was too heavy and I didn't want to risk backtracking in case I dropped it. It bled a lot and it has taken ages to heal. It still hurts two weeks later!

Then I got another cold that has progressively gotten worse and has affected my eyes. Yesterday I had a cafe shift at 7:30am which I had to cancel because my eyes looked like this:

My left eye was literally glued closed when I woke up. It was gross.

Anyway, enough about that. Here are some random photos I've snapped while going about my daily routine.

The cupcakes below are from the Cup & Cake the place I wrote my report on. Look pretty, don't they?

I was feeling a bit lonesome one day so I bought a Gingerbread woman to remind me of home. No where near as nice as Nef's.

And here's a coffee I had at Avanti Cafe. It tasted pretty awful they have Roasted Addiction coffee. I attempted to transform the blob into something. If you know what it is send me an answer in the comments section. From this:

To this:

Anyway, that's about it. I still feel like crap. Of the eight weeks I've been here I've been sick for six of them and I'm getting upset about it. I want to come home for Christmas.

Testing! Testing!

2011-11-20T12:09:00.001+13:00

Yes I'm still around I've just had numerous excuses not to blog...you know how it is. At the moment I am in a cafe after doing some community service for the church. Pretty much I just had to take money and serve people. Here is my little stall:

Isn't it lovely and sweet! The stall was part of the church market day and it was a nice small event. There were lots of knickknacks for sale, cake stalls, plants and flowers to buy and live music. As I said before, it was very nice.

Right now I am at Avanti, a restaurant / cafe because I missed breakfast. Here's what I got.

So yeah, I'll blog later on. I'm really tired.

Ok! Ok! An Update!

2011-10-26T22:50:00.000+13:00

Yep. Feeling a bit better physically although I still can't hear much out my left ear. Been kept pretty busy with shifts, assignments and generally trying to figure my new lifestyle out. I don't feel like putting a long written spiel so I'm gonna keep it mostly visual. Happy with that?

Well, that's all you're getting.

Right-o. Starting off with my candy review from The Remarkable Sweet Shop. I chose...

The classic American Twinkie because I remember watching that movie Zombie Land (I think that's what's called?) and seeing one of the main characters scour every store in search of his beloved Hostess Twinkies. Not that exciting in appearance is it?

Here it is again with a better background. Still not exciting. However maybe the taste would be better!

Unfortunately not. It was really artificial and, well, boring. Disappointed. I give it only half a star.

Okay. Next...

The week before last I went to the Taste Queenstown Festival and had my face painted for only $2.00. What a deal! I took photos so I'll never forget.

Then this week I did it again!

Oh. And I also bought this hat because I fell in love with it. Seriously. It is also great for those cold days to keep my brain warm.

I also loved my makeup that day. Sigh. Admire.

So. That's it for now. Just a quick blog post to keep everyone happy. It's all about me, me, me. Sorry about that.

What do you think about the picture quality? I've been trying to get a low res image for downloading purposes but I don't know if I've gone too far. I think I have...

Have a wonderful week everyone. I miss you all!

I'm sick!

2011-10-18T17:27:00.001+13:00

As the title says.

I don't think I'll be blogging until I feel better.

Boo-hoo.

Week 1: Got through it!

2011-10-08T14:39:00.000+13:00

Yay! I got through the first week. During some points it was really hard and I just wanted to go home but, as everyday passes, I get more comfortable.

The first week was a good amount of work. We got right into it, which is a good thing. We already have our first assignment to produce a hotel relevant CV and cover letter so I will get onto that as soon as I finish this post.

I've pretty much figured the bus system out. Buying that pre-paid card for $300 is worth its weight in gold! It has been so useful because you have to travel quite far for the supermarket not to mention Fernhill is ridiculously steep and I will not walk up it. I have also joined the Queenstown Library. They've recently made the process free for students---so another yay from me.

This morning I went to the "Taste of Queenstown" festival (at least that's what I think it's called). So here are some of the photos.

These two cup-cake photos are from a soap seller who had all these dessert soaps. They looked amazingly pretty.

And these two ladies were a hoot.

So anyway, that's it! I haven't got anything else at the moment unless you specifically request something. Before you ask: we got our uniforms but I'll blog about that next week.

Another picture entry

2011-10-04T20:05:00.002+13:00

More scenes of Queenstown. Isn't it stunning? I'm beginning to sound boring.

These Periwinkle flowers were growing on a wall outside the college. There were so many and they looked so nice I had to take a photo.

And this is the pug dog that the caretakers of the residence own. I think his name is Winston and he's there for security.

Also today I went to the Remarkables Sweet Shop. They have stacks of international confectionery available. It was pretty incredible.

I did buy something that appealed to me. These are called Flying Saucers and I do believe they come from Germany.

The outside is starchy like an ice cream cone and when you bite into them...

...they contain sherbert.

They were quite nice but on a scale of 1-5 I'll give them 2.

The reason they were so low was because the outside was bland and stuck to the inside of my mouth. The sherbert was nice but that's all I can say about them.

They were nice.

So that's all for now.

More of Queenstown

2011-09-30T21:33:00.004+13:00

Queenstown is ridiculously pretty. You'd have to be a complete idiot if you managed to get an ugly photo. I took these on my walk to QRC campus.

Just in case you don't know what the below photo is, it is a picture of the water.

The tiny St Peters church which I will attempt to visit on Sunday.

And this pretty (magnolia?) tree.

Still miss everyone. Leave me a comment to know I'm not alone.

QRC

2011-09-29T18:34:00.001+13:00

Well, I'm in. I unpacked yesterday and made my room look more me---sort of.

Yesterday we went to the cocktail function which was nice but awkward. No one likes being a newbie. So we have all sorts of students here. Most are 18 / 19 and say things like: "...mean, that's hard out". Hmmm.

Anyway, after that, I came back to the residence and went to sleep. I was really tired and unfortunately I didn't get much sleep cuz I was cold T_T. My tootsies were chilled and it made it really hard to get comfortable.

This morning we all got up for breakfast which was a nice continental breakfast. I had toast with butter and natural yoghurt with grapes. At 8:00 am the RA walked us to the College where we had a rules and regulations breakdown for a few hours. After that we went to get our uniforms fitted. By this, I mean we tried on various clothes and found a size that fit nice enough. After that, if the hems were too long, they were measured and we wrote how much it was to be turned up.

After that, we were let off and I wondered round Queenstown getting familiar with the place. I found a convenience store and bought a few essentials. I then took the bus back to the residence.

Bored yet?

So yeah, here I am typing away. Apparently we have a residence meeting at 5:30 and a BBQ I think.

Any way. PHOTO TIME.

My new room. Haven't figured out where to put the poodles.

Doesn't the bed look nice?

And the bathroom...

And the pièce de résistance:

Ta-da! That's from my bedroom window.

Anyway, gotta go. I'll blog soon-ish?

Trip to Queenstown

2011-09-29T16:20:00.001+13:00

Just a photo narrative.

Below Wellington Airport.

On the plane to Queenstown. Lots of rugby fans.

This is the view as soon as I left the airport.

And they has these gorgeous statues with holes Nef!

My room at the Mercure.

And this was dinner. Very healthy.

So yeah. That's all I have for now! Miss you guys already.

Happy Birthday Mum!

2011-09-21T23:44:00.001+12:00

The cake looked better than it tasted.

*sigh*

It's the thought...

GO AB'S!

2011-09-09T22:37:00.003+12:00

All Blacks -v.s- Tonga

We won!

Rock on. I can't believe I watched the whole match. And drunk two Steinlager. Weird.

A photo a day...

2011-08-05T22:58:00.001+12:00

A photo a day...

2011-08-03T23:44:00.001+12:00

A photo a day...

2011-08-01T21:56:00.001+12:00

Once again, Little Blackie doing his favorite activity.

A photo a day...

2011-07-31T18:15:00.001+12:00

My cabinet arrangement.

A photo a day...

2011-07-30T23:04:00.001+12:00

Yes, another cat one...

A photo a day...

2011-07-29T23:03:00.001+12:00

A photo a day while the mouse is away

2011-07-28T17:31:00.001+12:00

A picture a day...

2011-07-27T19:12:00.001+12:00

A picture a day...

2011-07-25T20:41:00.001+12:00

A picture a day keeps boredom at bay

2011-07-20T21:24:00.001+12:00

An achievement!

2011-07-20T20:35:00.000+12:00

Finally I am certified to perform First Aid. I went to the St. John course today and was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't nearly as daunting as I thought it would be.

I feel so much better for it.

Sloppy Blogger Sigh

2011-07-16T20:56:00.000+12:00

Yep.

Been a crap blogger again.

I promise I'll be better next time, but I'll just do a quick post to make myself happy.

Stef has bought me these new nail polishes from Hamilton. But I got no more nails since I'm back at work--I am quite unhappy about that but what can you do?

I have also signed up for a correspondence Bachelor of Communications from Massey. Let's see how that'll go.

Right. I'm off now to study. Boo-hoo.

How was work today?

2011-06-19T19:59:00.000+12:00

Two words.

Character Building.

New Goodies!

2011-06-15T16:18:00.000+12:00

I've been treating myself since I got back. Yay for me. They arrived in the mail today and I was so excited. The courier arrived at 6:58 in the morning -- early much?

In side box {A} was my willing (guinea pig) hair model. Let me introduce Flana, Ta-da! If you are really studious you'll look up the name meaning...

Any-hoo, as you can see, I did a pretty hairstyle on her to practice my french braiding. After half a dozen attempts I achieved the look below which I feel is acceptable. What is it about doing hair that makes me a complete oaf?

As you can see, Flana totally adores it.

Next! Box {B} contained this nifty bag that I want to put hair supplies and nail polish into. My tutor had something similar and I really liked the layout of it. Imagine my surprise to find one when I wasn't even looking. It's serendipity, I tell you. I was meant to have it.

That's it! Ta-Ra!

A quick note: I'm Home

2011-06-09T13:51:00.000+12:00

I've been home a few days now and I'm quite happy but I do miss everyone at SRA. Hope they are having good luck on the job hunt.

What have I done since I got back?

Well, I got back on Sunday after a long bus ride. My organs were liquefied by the violent bouncing. Next time I go anywhere I'm gonna watch how much junk I accumulate so I can take a nice quick plane ride home instead. In four months I collected a awe-inspiring load of treasures (crap) which became immensely problematic at the end.

Anyway, I got home so that's over.

Now, Savannah conspired with dad for me to do a ball makeup demonstration in Palmerston so on Monday (a mere 12 hours later) I was hauled over there. It was fun and I hope they do want makeup for their shin-dig or else I will be sad.

Since then, I have made a Bacon and Egg pie and also gone to a dance exercise class which was a bit weird with all the hip-thrusting 'n all. I will do it again though. I think.

So that's it.

Chocolate Boutique. Arg! So yum!

2011-05-30T16:18:00.002+12:00

Awesome food/drink and even better company. Thankies Amelia. I hate eating out alone.

Look at what I had:

Chocolate steamed pudding. Gosh. It was so good.

And (predictably) a flat white. It was good. I'd give it a 7 out of 10.

And here's what Amelia had:

Chocolate Waffles and an amazing Hot Chocolate which I'm sure I'd adore in an alternative universe.

*sigh*

I'm leaving soon. I'm gonna miss everyone T_T. Who'd have thought I'd make such good friends in 17 weeks?

Thanks Amelia for taking me out! I even chewed with my mouth closed (I think).

BED BUGS ~ not even kidding

2011-05-29T19:23:00.002+12:00

Well, my lower legs have been devoured like a buffet by voracious, blood sucking, minions-of-the-devil BED BUGS! At this point I am freaked out about sleeping under the covers and might just use the spare blanket in the closet instead. Everyday I wake up and the bites are getting higher and higher. I've never had this problem until this week and I am certain they aren't fleas or mosquitos. Very unhappy.

>.< So this week we've just been going over what we already know but this time we got to be experimental. Here's a picture of me after my partner did an experimental "elegant lip" look on me. Pretty neat, huh?

What else?

Nothing really. Here's last weeks nails. I did two designs because the rhinestones fell off the first one and it looked boring without them.

Okay. Bye again, this time next week I'll be home. Wow. Time flies.

Week 15: Vintage Beauty

2011-05-22T12:44:00.002+12:00

I loved this week!

Here's where I'm sitting while I have a latte. I rate the latte 4 out of 10. Not as good as previous orders unfortunately.

On Tuesday we started on the 50s and did a Lady Gaga inspired look from the Telephone video. It was such a cool look that I did it again on myself when I got home.

In the afternoon we did a 50s inspired doll look. We were inspired by pictures of Barbie and other doe eyed toys. I loved the makeup I did on my partner and I also dressed her in one of my gowns. She looked amazing! Unfortunately I only have one picture on my iTouch which doesn't really show the makeup but it gives an impression of the look.

And here's the look she did on me:

On Tuesday we did the 60s and you know what? I think I like the makeup of this era even more than the 50s because they had the strong lines and awesome colours not to mention FAKE EYELASHES!

I ADORED the look I did on my partner, I was so proud of my work. In my opinion I captured the 60s perfectly right down to the houndstooth dress I had my model wear.

I wasn't that excited by the 70s. It didn't give me much leeway to experiment while retaining the period-look elements, ya know? Doing fancy things like cat-flicks and concentrated colour made it 50s & 60s again.

The 70s is a nice look and that's it. The look of the era is definitely defined by the clothes opposed to the makeup.

On Friday we did the 80s and our own version of the Black Swan makeup. It was fun, but by that time I was so tired from the full-on week I didn't get that into it.

Here's the look my partner did on me.

Anyway, that's it for this week. Coming up we are doing advanced natural, elegant and sultry looks. I'll post up again next week. Leave me a message!

Btw Samantha, I found your Tumblr account. I'm not sure how it works so I didn't leave a comment but I did see it!

Here's a picture of my nails from a few weeks ago. Prettiest look EVER!

BYE!

I have a cold!!!

2011-05-15T15:25:00.003+12:00

I feel pretty crap at the moment cuz I have a cold. I feel better now that I'm having this hot chocolate. Just the pretty fern makes me feel better.

Esquires has redeemed themselves so long as I don't have their coffee.

My lower back is so sore! I feel like the hag in my previous posts. I took mums remedy and bought myself a bag of crystalised Ginger, it really helps. It eases my throat and the congestion. I hope the worst is over by Tuesday because I don't want to miss a day. We're doing the 50s, 60s, 70s & 80 s.

It's been a busy week and, since I feel so bad, I can't be bothered relaying it. No good photos for me to share anyway.

Well, I do have a few photos. I was tinkering with this new app. Here's the end results. Windows are very photogenic.

Yes, I know, they're a bit naff, but what do you expect with an app? They're all filters and I'm pretty sure everyone who has it thinks their an accomplished photographer.

Why am I ranting? I'm going home.

Week 14: Nanas & serial killers

2011-05-08T12:28:00.002+12:00

We did the more theatrical make up this week. It was fun and, best of all, not hard to pass. We all looked weird. My previous post showed when I was transformed into a rather dirty looking man.

Here is what I look like as a pasty old lady with bad lipstick.

...not to mention really bad hair.

PHOTOSHOOT!

Work it, Nan! The lens loves you!

At the moment, I am at The Coffee Club having this coffee:

And this salmon and pesto bagel:

So yeah, that's it. It's been a busy but quiet week so I don't have much to blog about.

Oh, but I can't forget this:

Happy Mothers Day, Mum!

I love you.

WARNING! Rapist / serial killer

2011-05-03T14:14:00.002+12:00

Today we unveiled or masculine personality. Turns out, my alternative is a janitor at the hospital morgue. His name is Nigel and he sneaks home organs to eat. He particularly enjoys human livers...

Thumbs up if you like Nigel!

Week: I'm-not-sure-any-more

2011-05-02T18:58:00.002+12:00

Been a sloppy blogger, I have! Never mind, better late than never. I'm sitting in the Coffee Club determined to get this post done. I have incentive thanks to Mr. & Mrs. D:

So, the week before last we did WWI makeup, which essentially is the 1920s. I LOVED this look! It suited me and my personality.

See Mum, black makeup is very flattering on me. And here's my partner's styling on me:

Also that week Nef came to visit me. It was nice to have someone around. Since we did quite a lot of things I'll post the pictures to tell the story or else I'll be typing forever. Funnily enough, most of the photos involve food...

I had the chicken BBQ and Nef had a Margarita pizza. So Good!

Next day, we went to the Coffee Club and had steak sandwiches:

We also went to the movies and watched "Sucker Punch" it was good enough...bit obscure and Mary-Sue-ish but I enjoyed it all the same. Ending was good, I have to admit. And I loved all the glittery makeup and outfits.

Picture above is Nef in the cinema.

Next day:

Poached eggs on toast. So Good! Really enjoyed that breakfast.

So did Nef...

NEXT!

Can't remember what this place was called but it was very average. We both had Cashew curry which sounded better than it was.

And after the Indian, we went to the museum to see the war projections on the exterior for Anzac commemoration. It was awesome, except for the giant cockroach. Shudder.

And the next day we went to The Chocolate Boutique. I had an Irish Coffee, which I managed to drink--but only barely. It was too sweet and fake tasting. Nef had a Macadamia Mocha which I Strongly advised against. She doesn't even like mochas! It was worse than mine. Even sweeter! Nef was (predictably) unable to drink it. I like the glasses.

The food was good. Nef had Chocolate Waffles and I had the Sticky Date Pudding. We enjoyed those.

The next day we had coffee at The Coffee Club.

And here is Nef experiencing the Link Bus on a rainy day. Such joy on her face!

And then she left and I was alone again...

*sniff, sniff*

...to enjoy my queen sized without epiglottis noises.

**yay!**

So, onto last week and then I'm all blogged out. Nail design was a simple French Tip (Revlon: Tropical Punch) with a nail sticker over the polish. Looked complex and real pretty with no effort. Wish iTouch could pick up the design better.

The makeup was WWII. I liked it very much; there were fake lashes and the sneer lip. While I really enjoyed wearing the look, I must admit that the sneer lip didn't suit me because if my mini-sized lips.

Here's the picture anyway:

Btw, thanks for the B-day earrings Van! I'm wearing them. Also, thanks for the receipt, you must have been delighted to stick within your traditional budget.

And that's it! Fewf! That was a lot of work. No wonder I kept putting it off.

Lucky Lucky Iona!

2011-04-21T00:00:00.002+12:00

Went and used the Farmers voucher from Sam (thanks again) and I bought this:

OPI's Lucky Lucky Lavender. I have been wanting a pastel shade of purple for ages and this opportunity meant I could get it without feeling guilty.

\ ^~^ / happiness!

So I gave myself a classic French tip to show off the colour.

So delicious! I love it.

Week 10: Weird-as week •_•'>

2011-04-18T11:42:00.002+12:00

•_•'>

That is my symbol for "confused, weird-as-ness".

Been a funny week, as though I've been in an alternate universe or something. Unfortunately I don't think this is going to be a very long (or interesting post) but I'll write something anyway so I don't get abusive Facebook messages (update! update! update! update! update! update! update! update! update! update! update! update! update! update! update! update!). Wonder who sent that, hmm.

Did Victorian makeup which sounds more exciting than it is. Pretty much the look involved foundation a shade lighter than normal skin tone. My partner was perplexed over what to do when the pastiest white foundation was an exact match for my skin. So while everyone got to walk around with anemic, "I-just-saw-a-ghost" complexions I looked...normal. Even though I hate to say it (cuz it's so teenage) it was a definite LOL moment.

On the eyes there was a pale wash of colour with no mascara or eyeliner. Thankfully the brows remained untouched much to everyones delight; we're still growing them back after last week.

The lips were cool! It's called the "Bitten Lip" meaning we put a strong concentration of red lipstick on the inner part of the lips and gradated it outward to the natural lip line. The end result was as though we'd been eating raspberries. It was really pretty. The final touch was blush on the apples if the cheeks.

The hair was very Scarlet O'Hara; three ringlets on both sides of the face covering the ears. The rest of the hair was gathered in a low bun at nape of neck. I used a red and green fascinater to embellish. So yeah; that's Victorian.

Bring on WWI!

Okay, makeup reprieve. Here is the weekly nail design:

Blue diagonal tips with white tiger stripes. I really liked how effective the colours were in making design really pop.

Speaking of tigers...I cut nails considerably shorter and gave shaped them to be more square. They are more functional now.

Onto the ice cream which is pistachio, I'm not sure about the other flavours cuz I can't read the label.

It was quite nice; it almost had a liqueur flavour.

Now...

Back to makeup; I have work experience on Sunday for "Catwalk Studios".

Yay!

Exciting!

Not sure what we're doing but I think it's another fashion show. I'll blog after I've done it.

That's it! Bye bye for now.

You'd think in Auckland they'd get it right.

2011-04-11T16:06:00.002+12:00

If only...

Coffee from this Esquires tastes like cigarettes-- mmm, my favourite! What's more it had over a centimeter of foam on the top which concludes that this is a Latte; all well and good BUT I ordered a Flat White.

What a sad thing you are.

Week 9: A Brow-less Birthday

2011-04-11T14:06:00.002+12:00

Yes you read correct, no eyebrows this week. It was all the rage in Renaissance/Elizabethan times. Aren't I just stunning:

It must have been those semi-circle red eyebrows that made Queen Liz a paragon of beauty. As requested by Nef last week, here is a photo of my partner after I did her makeup:

Very queenly! And thanks for the ruffle! It made the whole look o-for-awesome.

Moving on......

THANKS FOR THE BIRTHDAY TREATS!

It means so much that you haven't forgotten my existence!

......even if Van's text message came at 10:31 (and 19 seconds) pm. I forgive you though. How'd the assignment go?

Thank you mum for the card. I was very comforted to see that you'd sent it in your typical fashion: completely unrelated to my birthday or age group. It gave me a laugh. Don't be offended, I am truly happy I got the card.

And Samantha......

YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE!

I was so touched by the card alone because it was so beautiful and then I opened it and found the Farmers card. I will get something for my Makeup Kit.

THANK YOU!

When it arrived I didn't want to open the envelope because you'd written so nicely on it. I ended up looking for scissors and going all Doctor-in-operation mode.

Any-hoo, aside from my birthday the week was rather anti-climatic. This coming Tuesday we are learning about Victorian makeup so that should be fun.

Here is this weeks nail art:

And the Asian ice cream is this:

It was chocolate and nut covering vanilla ice cream which covered a hard chocolate center. So good!

I'm going to see about getting a nice coffee now...I deserve it.

Week 8: Pretty (bald) Medieval Maidens

2011-04-03T12:45:00.002+12:00

Medieval makeup -- complete & passed! It was the easiest look so far. All those medieval beauties did was pluck their faced and hairlines bald then put the palest of makeup on. I was extremely happy with the costuming so thank you Mum and Nef!

Here's what I looked like after my partner made me up (note: this is NOT my styling or work. I am merely the stunning model):

Now isn't that just stunning? If you have a microscope you may be able to see the makeup.

So where am I now? I am at the Little Espresso House having a Flat White because I liked the coffee last time I was here. Alas, this coffee tastes like it has been stewed with cigarettes. Yuck.

Before:

After: Look it's the Lion King in my Flat White! That is so not hygienic!

Onto the weekly nail design. Tada!

Turquoise and gold look AMAZING together.

And here is this weeks ice cream:

Sadly, I did not like this weeks ice cream. It was green tea wrapped around walnut ice cream. There were a few reasons this didn't appeal:

1) I'm not usually affected by fake food colouring however, they look like a pair of snot balls.

2) I don't like green tea.

3) it was just plain weird.

Nuff said.

I did try out other Asian goodies which were pleasant:

And finally, here is my weekly fashion look courtesy of one of my classmates. Doesn't it look good? I think I really suit it.

That's it! I am all emptied out with this weeks news.

Thanks to everyone who comment! It makes me happy that you like to know what I'm plotting, even if it is useless fluff.

Bye bye!

Ps here's a pic of the adorable cat that visits me. She is still so tiny!

Pps / pss? Stef next photos are for you. View & weep.

Week 7: mono-brows, models & naked people

2011-03-28T11:30:00.003+13:00

At the moment I am sitting in the Coffee Club having a Flat White because I totally deserve it for doing so well yesterday. Here is what my Flat White looks like.

It has a pretty top and it tastes good too.

Yay! Another week complete and, as you saw from the previous post, we were doing awesome mono-brows. On Friday we got to use the principles of Roman/Greek makeup to create Avant Garde looks. Mine was amazing if I do say so myself but the picture is on my digital camera so I can't post it. However I do have a picture of my eye after my partner did my makeup. Here it is:

Quite pretty. I'd post the "demon" look except I (not the makeup) look exceptionally unflattering in the photo. Me + candid photos = monstrosity.

On an unrelated topic, here was the weekly nail design:

Also this weeks ice cream choice:

It was vanilla ice cream with red bean paste all wrapped in a wafer-ish cover. It was nice but not my favourite.

The work experience was AWESOME. It was for the Newmarket Fashion Festival and it started really early. We had to be there at 7:30 and start makeup at 8:00. I did complete makeup on two girls and loads of touch ups. Most of the other makeup artists left at 10:30 but I volunteered (along with three others) to stay until 3:30 for touch ups.

The models were so tall! My head didn't even reach their shoulders! They had to bend down so I could powder their noses. INSANE!

So that's all! Bye!

Ravishing Beauty; no kidding!

2011-03-23T01:13:00.002+13:00

Okay. Something doesn't look right in this picture...

...one too many beauty spots. That's it; with me being a Greek goddess 'n all, three is just too much for those mere mortals.

That explains why no one could look at me when I took the bus home ^.<

Week 6: Sultry, sulky & sleepy

2011-03-20T14:59:00.002+13:00

Did the sultry makeup which, as expected, was not easy. I failed the first time round so I repeat the test on Friday and I passed. Thank goodness for that otherwise I would have gone completely crazy repeating it again.

Here's a picture of me wearing the Fashion Sultry look.

We also went on a field trip to M.A.C, Chanel and Bobbi Brown makeup counters. The trip was really informative especially from Chanel where one of the ladies graduate SRA in October 2010. She was really nice and gave us all a sample of their foundation Teint Innocence.

At the moment I am sitting in an Esquires coffee shop drinking a so-so Flat White. I spent a great deal of time at the library researching Ancient Greece / Rome. I'm going to go home now and gonna write everything up.

Here's my very average coffee with lopsided fern thing.

Here it is after I modified it.

Now I won't be frustrated by it's fern placement.

Onto the next thing. On Friday I went and got my ice cream. So here is my choice: "Double Bianco" something-or-rather.

It was very nice, though not as good as last week. It had strawberry streaked vanilla ice cream and below that was a gorgeous apple sorbet. I fell in love with the sorbet. So so good!

Also, since Vannah liked my nails in the last post, I thought I'd put pictures up of other designs I'd photographed. I'm a bit like a psychopath aren't I? Taking pictures of everything so I can re-live the moment.

I love the design above. I was inspired by a YouTube video.

And this concluded another episode of "Wasting Time with Iona".

Next week expect: monobrows, togas and more ice cream as well as a report on my first work experience job. I am doing sultry make up (along with 5 other class mates) for a fashion show in Newmarket. Kinda nervous. Wish me the best.

St. Patricks Day

2011-03-13T15:50:00.003+13:00

Groceries...CHECK
Laundry...CHECK
Jazz...CHECK

I'm at the Rotunda listening to the jazz. Todays flavor seems to be country, rock'n'roll and blues.

Anyway, here are the photos of the St. Pats Day parade.

I want this car.

I like her dress.

After the parade I went to a bar and got an Irish Coffee. It was really, really good!

So that's it.

Week 5: E for Elegance, Entertainment & Eating

2011-03-13T11:05:00.002+13:00

Been busy this week. We started Elegant makeup which meant we were working with bold lipstick colours. Now some might say "holy moly, you spent a week learning to put lipstick on?!" to which I say: don't diss me until you try it. Putting on your own lipstick is incomparable to applying it to someone else. Achieving symmetry is incredibly difficult while still trying to keep the lines clean & crisp. Thank goodness I passed the test or else I would have gone insane repeating the look. So here's a picture after I was made-up.

We also started hand makeup! I enjoyed that! We has to cleanse, massage and moisturize our partners hands, push the cuticles back and file their nails. For polish we were to put a base coat on then at least two coats of colour followed by a top coat. My nails were painted a bright green and, when I got home I painted some nail art on so they look pretty cool. Again, the whole process is easier said then done. In a few weeks we will be tested on it.

On Friday my friend and I decided to have Ice cream Friday. This means every Friday we go to the Korean supermarket and buy an ice cream. Since we can't read Korean we choose the ice cream based on how they look. This is what I chose:

Oh my gosh! it was amazing! Vanilla ice cream balls wrapped in this thin, sweet skin which was a bit like uncooked pastry. So good. I want more!

Yum. Yum. Yum!

Any way, it's Saturday so I treated myself to a coffee this morning at The Little Espresso Room in Parnell. Their coffee and muffin were very good!

Don't they look nice? The coffee was a Flat White and the muffin was apple and cinnamon sprinkled with shaved almonds.

Also for lunch my friend and I went to a Japanese restaurant. I had Sweet & Sour Chicken Donburi. It was so so so gooooood! And so much for $10.00. I'm stuffed right now I don't think I'll have dinner tonight.

Above is the Teriyaki Chicken platter she had and below is what I ate.

We also went to the St. Patricks Day parade down Queen Street. But I'm going to blog about that later because I am so pooped and I took loads of photos which = loads of work to blog about.

Until then...

Week 4: Natural, Natural, NATURAL

2011-03-06T17:59:00.002+13:00

Yip, as the name implies we have been working on natural makeup. This may surprise a lot of people (it certainly did for me) but the whole I-don't-have-any-makeup-on effect is quite hard to achieve. The end result (when applied correctly) is breathtaking. So we did natural, natural nude and natural fashion all of which is self explanatory.

Along with that we also did male makeup. One of my class mates has been dubbed "The Jesus of Men" as she brought in extras for all us poor people who didn't have someone to exploit. So the makeup went well. We had to make sure the male was comfortable and talk to them carefully as to not spook them about glitter and mascara wands. It was quite fun. What I did was use the concealer to hide the blemishes and then added a light layer of foundation. My client left quite happy and didn't even remove the makeup before he left so I was quite stoked!

Next week we are moving on to Elegant which includes the red lip look. Yay! So excited about that! I'm not so excited about mature makeup because I'm going to have to find a mature beauty >_<. Darn. I'll ask around if anyone has a spare 40+ grandma or aunt they can lend me. On other news, did my groceries (such a never ending chore) and am currently onto laundry (also a tedious job that comes around too fast). While I was in Newmarket getting said groceries I saw a Stag do in progress. I WISH I had taken a photo because one of the guys (I assume the groom) was hand cuffed to a traffic light wearing only a man-kini. Hilarious! There was also "Spank Me" instructions. Also, I have finally visited The Chocolate Boutique. So adorable and stuffed full of chocolate. I went with my classmate and we had a great time. She ordered a Cherry cake and I got a Flat White and chocolate waffles. So decadent. I could only take a few sneaky photos as they have a no photography policy. So here they are.

The walls were stacked with loads of candy. It was like the Willy Wonker movie!

This is the Cherry Pie/cake.

The Flat White. My Flat White is prettier ^_~.

My chocolate waffle. It had chocolate ice cream, cream and chocolate shavings. I think the price was good considering it is in the middle of Parnell. $5.50 for the cherry pie and $7.50 for the waffle.

I was totally stuffed afterwards.

Here you can see the candy jars lining the walls.

For more about the boutique follow this link: Chocolate-Boutique

My classmate and I also went to Newmarket and wandered around for a while. We went to Smith + Caugheys which is full of highly expensive designer products. I want everything!

Eat your heart out Savannah! They had Chandeliers everywhere.

Week 3: Corrective Makeup

2011-02-27T22:40:00.002+13:00

Title of post pretty much sums what we did. It has been quite a thorough week, learning basic theory and putting it into practice so, unfortunately, I don't have a lot to say or show. I do, however, have a picture of myself after my partner did corrective makeup on me. Here it is:

Yeah, I know. Not that exciting but that's the point.

Now it's the weekend again and (funnily enough) it's pretty much the same as last week. Saturday: went to town, got groceries and did laundry. Sunday: I am once again listening to the jazz music in the park. The only down side is that the wind is sort of cold, nothing like Wanganui though.

So yeah. That's it really.

Pictures!

2011-02-21T11:17:00.002+13:00

I figured out how to post pictures now! Woohoo! So here they are.

The area in Parnell I'm living in.

My new "home".

Here is some of the work we've been doing.

This is the 3rd degree burn my partner did on my arm.

The fresh scar I did on my partners hand.

My eye makeup after senior student did makeover.

Next are some photos from the Chinese Lantern Festival.

This little panda reminds me of Savannah.

Anyway, that's all now. I hope that this all uploads. Fingers crossed.

Week 2: C, T, M & Chinese Lanterns

2011-02-20T17:23:00.003+13:00

It's Sunday again. Is it possible to say that time seems to be going fast and slow at the same time? I've been here only two weeks but it feels like forever, yet classes are flying past at the speed of light.

This week we finished scars, it was quite a pain because I failed the first assessment and had to re-sit after class. Annoying but I'm glad I failed because it shows they have a set standard that they aren't willing to compromise.

So, now that special effects are done we have started with actual makeup, learning the basics like skin types, face charts and CTM which stands for cleanse, tone and moisturise. We need to know the basics of beauty therapy so we can advise clients on how to look after their skin and what products to buy. We then did the process on our daily partners, first gently - and thoroughly - removing all make up on their eyes and faces. Did you know that when they autopsy women they find makeup in their organs because they don't properly remove it? Sure there is some absorption during the day, but most occur at night. Therefore everyone should invest in a good cleanser opposed to relying on the shower to remove the makeup.

Once the makeup was removed, our tutor went around with a cotton bud and swiped areas to look for residue. Once we were given the all clear (if not, cleanse had to be repeated) we were to massage moisturiser into the skin. The whole process was a weird experience because it isn't anything like touching your own skin.

Yeah, so that's what we did. In this coming week we will be focusing on corrective techniques etc.

On Friday I hooked up with Samantha and Nicole. It was so nice to see some familiar faces! We went to the Chinese Lantern Festival. It was brilliant! There were many beautiful displays, food and entertainment. I bought this adorable pink bunny hat. If I could get blogger+ to cooperate I'd post a picture but alas, for the life of me I cannot figure it out.

The next day we all went to look at the Farmers Markets which I found to be a bit anti-climatic compared to the Wanganui market. Nonetheless I enjoyed the time I spent with them. The rest of the day was dull; did grocery shopping and laundry.

It is Sunday now and at the moment I am at the rotunda, sprawled under a beautiful tree listening to the Sunday Jazz concert that the council has arranged for the next few weeks. Todays jazz has a Latin theme, (at the moment I am listening to a Latin "Sway") which makes it very interesting.

I miss home, not because I am home sick but because I miss the company. I also miss Twinkles.

Book I'm reading at the moment: How to create the perfect brows by Victoria Bush.

Week 1: Boils, zits, burns & makeovers

2011-02-13T12:19:00.002+13:00

I had this whole blog post written when something happened and the blogger+ app lost it. So frustrating! I also can't get this app to post pictures.

But onto more interesting things...

I'm doing my laundry now. I'm not sure how to dry them because I don't want to wear my clothes out by putting them in the dryer. I'll have to figure something out. No clothes line, so I might just have to hang everything around the place.

So onto something else...this time more interesting. I passed the burns test. We had to do 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree burns. I found this most challenging (so far) in the "climatics" special effects module. It was really hard for me to get the "gel skin" to work. Also, on Friday we started hygiene and got a demo on brush cleaning. In the afternoon we got makeovers by the more senior students. I chose bright green eyeshadow with a dramatic flick. The end result was quite nice. Got a locker at the academy to keep all my things, they're quite big and really convenient, especially when we get our kits. My locker is 188 and I've already lost the key so many times that I've bought a long chain to wear it around my neck.

What else?

Next week we are doing scars and basic makeup theory. So that should be exciting and less messy (well, thats the hope anyway). My classmates are nice, albeit I have little in common with any of them. Hopefully as time progresses the relationship between everyone will become smoother.

Food wise, still a bit lost on what to feed myself. Went to the grocery shop yesterday. I think I got enough to keep me healthy for the week. For vegetables, I bought a bag of coleslaw as well as the frozen veggies in the microwave steam bag. I also got oranges and apples. For meat I bought three little cans of tuna because they were on special. My luxury item was a small bag of Karajoz coffee because I'm a coffee snob and it reminds me of home.

So yeah, that's all for now. I might go and investigate the library. It's somewhere around here...

By the way, I have decided to hang my laundry round my room. Gosh. What an exciting blog post!

First Day

2011-02-07T22:09:00.002+13:00

Well everything went really great! I took the bus and arrived at 8:30. My new class mates seem like a reasonable lot. A few are 17, but most are in their early twenties. The oldest person is 32, so it is mostly a youthful bunch and all are female---no surprise there.

Our tutor is called Sox, isn't that acute nickname? And she is so cute herself. Firstly we did introductions and then a little "speed dating" so we could familiarise with everyone. Then we got the "class rules" and our timetable for Week One.

After that we toured the campus. It is quite small, however it is minimalist and clean. It also feels quite homely. I felt totally comfortable there. Tomorrow I will get a locker so I can keep my handbag and equipment safe and I won't need to constantly haul it home by bus.

Yay! I've sort of got a routine!

Then we had a lunch break and I had my self packed food. See, I can feed myself! When we returned we got our contracts and were informed that we will start doing makeup tomorrow. I think she said we are going to "age" ourselves! Also, in the afternoon the senior students are going to give us makeovers. I don't know how I feel about that...I think it's exciting but at the same time, it's quite daunting. I've never had anyone do my makeup. We were also informed to not wear makeup on Friday. At this a look of displeasure passed over a few peoples faces. Mine included. Our teacher reassured us that the only people who would see us without the war paint would be the bus drivers and the stinky guy who seems to be an obligatory figure on all bus routes.

So yeah, that's all for now.

By the way...I'm watching The Great Johnston Brothers (I think that's what it's called). Oh. My. Gosh. This is lame. Norse Gods in Auckland??? So far fetched. My suspension of disbelief is stretched real thin.

In Auckland!

2011-02-06T20:22:00.002+13:00

I can just tell by typing on this iTouch blogging is gonna be a pain in the butt cuz the letters are so small on the keyboard.

But no one wants to hear that, so let's get on with the story.

I am so tired! I have so many blisters on my feet it's not funny. They look like Frankenstein-feet. Why are they in such a deplorable state? Because I spent about two hours looking for the institute. While I commend them on their nice understated signage, it made them virtually impossible to find. I must have tramped past them half a dozen times! Grrrrrr!

And now! I'm back from the supermarket and Oh. My. Gosh. What a mission! I have a new appreciation for bygone house wife doing her shopping. Firstly I had to catch the bus, so I had to wait twenty minutes for the "Link" bus. Then me, with only a vague direction of where the shop was, misses it the first time and spent an additional 45-60 minutes going round Auckland (on the bright side, I have a good idea of how far the academy is on foot and bus).

Then at the supermarket I was exhausted and had no clue what to buy, so I just got basic food and supplies ( ie. Fruit, milk, washing powder etc.). It all came up to $60 or so. Then hauling it home reached new levels of agony. I'd managed to keep my shopping within three bags but they eventually got heavier and heavier.

Housewives used to not only do the shopping, but they had to drag their spawn with them. What a nightmare! Especially on those days with everything being bigger, heavier and difficulter. I just don't know how they did it.

Gosh. Isn't that sad. My first day on Auckland and all I can do is complain. But can you blame me?

Maybe I shall talk about some of the good things. My lodging is nice albeit small, but it is good for me and I don't have communal bathroom/toilets. The whole Parnell area is so adorable and is café central! Most of the shops here are high-end boutiques with the loveliest things to buy. I also noticed on my meandering walk that quite a few cafés are looking for staff. I'll keep that in mind for if I decide I need more money or can't stand being all alone in my room.

The Plan...

2011-01-24T13:23:00.005+13:00

Alright, I have a plan in place for this new year. I am very excited but at the same time freaked out, worried and anxious. The last two are synonyms of each other but it helps reiterate my point. So here it is...

“The Plan”

From February 7th I am going to do makeup artistry here. This will last four months until June. The course is in Auckland so I've been planning, planning, planning like mad. It will be expensive to live up there but (as they say...) no pain no gain.

After, I will return home for a few months and in October travel down to Queenstown to do a Diploma of Hotel Management here.

At this point I have about two weeks before I leave home. The only things I've been doing lately is eating, sleeping and going to work. Now that the holiday season is coming to an end I'm getting less hours at the cafe, for which I am grateful. My callouses are getting callouses! I'm sad to say but the job no longer gives me the same joy it did. Nonetheless I will miss it.

Bring on February!

Shopping

2011-01-19T15:02:00.003+13:00

Yesterday I went shopping in Palmerson North with family. I only spent $35.00 but I got quite a lot. Retailers must be trying to get rid of last years stock.

Got these gorgeous nail polishes by Revlon. The bright pink on the left is called Tropical Temptation, the middle purple-pink is Seductive Plum and the final pastel is Pink Chiffon.

Also went to the new-ish jewelery store Lovisa and I got four earrings for $10.00, which was totally unexpected but I'm not complaining.

Black rhinestone flies...?
Diamante beetles.
Cute-as little Owls.
...and this earring set which I don't like, however I want to use the filigree fan in another piece of jewelery I'm making.

The final item was a cotton blouse-thing for only $10. Its a nice closet-filler.

Anyway, that's all for now. The photos aren't the best, this is the first time I've used an iTouch camera...I hate the compromise in quality but I do like the convenience of this item.

Just photos

2011-01-07T12:33:00.002+13:00

Savannah when to a Harry Potter themed birthday party. She decided to dress up as Fleur Delacour, so, with that in mind, we hunted around the house for all things Fleur-ish. This is what we came up with. I actually think it's a pretty good outfit. It was a piece that was entered into a fashion competition a few years ago, I don't think it got a placing. The hat is a hand made (by me) fedora with a pin tuck sash and buckle. Picture is a bit fuzzy, it was getting late and I didn't really have the patience to put up with her excited-ness.

This was the birthday boys dog. He was adorable! ...not as cute as Twinkles mind you.

They have a seriously intense bottle collection as part of their Harry Potter design scheme. When I asked the mother she said, "My husband digs holes for a living". It was a funny statement, but in actuality I think he's a contractor. There were some beautiful vintage pieces that made my fingers itch to steal.

That's all for now. I hope I don't fall off the planet again, I really enjoy blogging.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T19:38:00.006+13:00

I'm terrible with updating. *sigh*. Nonetheless, I'm here now. Let's just skip the end of the year and move forward with some goals for 2011. I decided (with a little help from my boss) to make 5 achievable goals instead of a resolution. I'm happier with that idea because resolution sounds so severe and beyond me. So here it goes!

Go to Makeup Artistry school.
Write a story. At least one & finish it.
Keep in contact with my close friends.
Practice illustrative type.
Do the Diploma of Hospitality Management.

EDIT because I thought up some more goals.
Complete defensive driving course.
Get my full drivers license.

Those are all totally achievable. Let's go full steam ahead for 2011.

∆ Wrath of Eyjafjallajökull ∆

2010-09-20T13:47:00.003+12:00

Savannah entered the Newmarket Competition a few weeks ago by submitting an outfit proposal. The idea was to design something on paper inspired by a Global Event. Awesome for her, she was selected as one of the finalists to design her outfit. After a lot of sweating and cursing, she managed to create an outfit inspired by the the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull, which caused a global headache for travelers and airlines.

Here are the photos I took of the outfit. There are numbers screen printed on the fabric to represent the Arrivals/Departures boards seen at airports.

The model was Stefanie, who was all to happy to do the job (for a change).

And the pièce de résistance for this outfit was the LED lights set in the shoulders and shoes.

Pretty cool, huh?

My new "Do"

2010-09-07T13:31:00.009+12:00

Right-o, so after the hairdressing competition my hair had to be shaved because it was...urm...can't really describe it...but it was coming out. Every time it got wet it turned into elastic (like spaghetti!) and I found it fascinating to pull clumps out. So pretty much shaving saved me from a self-inflicted bald spot.

I don't dislike my hair at the moment, in fact, its complementary to my features but it's not my thing. My clothes are vintage and a shaved head doesn't match. I've been using hats to soften the look, I will blog about "hat wearing" in another post. But here is a picture courtesy of Adrian from his '80s Glamour photo shoot.

The Glamour shoot was fun! I dressed up in a typical blue 80s ruffle dress, as well as a "David Bain" bat-wing jersey. They even managed to source a Donny Osmond jacket. It took a few hours and a lot of effort but it was so totally worth it....although I had the sorest muscles the next day. Wonder why?

Samantha Inspired: Vintage Skirt

2010-09-02T18:32:00.011+12:00

This tutorial is dedicated to Samantha (a.k.a Queen Sammy) because it's her 21st Birthday and she's now officially old. If you're reading this Sam, you're old. It's gotta be said.

Now, despite her Condition, she has the coolest sense of style which has sparked me to make her clothes. I hope she likes them *fingers crossed*.

I wanted to do a tutorial because this skirt design makes it easy (ridiculously easy) to adapt for any body or style of clothing. I made this vintage inspired by using sheer patterned fabric which was inspired by Samantha's Polaroid assignment:

I also wrote a good majority in post-it notes because Samantha is a post-it note fiend. I'm never doing that again. Better appreciate it Sam. I used a whole pad and most of Thursday to complete this.

Quarter mark your skirt fabric before you actually start to gather the fabric. If you don't know what quarter marking is, click here.

Serpentine stitch (or stretch stitch. Whatever.) elastic and fabric together like image below.

Woo-hoo. A new skirt! I've customised this one a little by adding a gather to the front. In't pretty.

Well that's it for now.

Happy Birthday Samantha.

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

2010-08-17T14:56:00.005+12:00

First off, Fantastic Movie. I thought it had an excellent plot, it was filmed well and it kept me totally absorbed. I haven't read the book (because I'm lazy) but mum did say that most of the elements were retained so kudos to Søren Stærmose.

What I liked the most about this movie is that it wasn't sugar coated like American movies. I don't mean this in just a violence sense, but the characters weren't "perfected" as we see so often in blockbuster movies. Firstly, our male protagonist was Michael Blomkvist; in no way could be be considered handsome. Nonetheless, he appears more attractive as the movie progresses once we get to know his dedicated and honorable personality. He will never be like Hollywood stars, he looks just like any other man on the street and this adds to the plausibility of the movie.

Our heroine Lisbeth Salander is attractive, but I can still see her flaws. I can see the pores on her cheek, the very faint cellulite on her thighs but I like this. Why? Because it helps me connect with her as a person. These days I can't stand movies at the cinema because I always walk out wondering why everyone has to look so phenomenally good all the time.

The same applies when a movie comes out and the main actors turn out to be the usual red-carpet types like Angelina Jolie. When I know the sordid history of A-listers I can't stand them because they are so fake, cheap and soulless--all that matters to them is money. The mentality is Quantity opposed to Quality. My general thought on Hollywood/American actors is: incestuous. Why? Because they date/marry/divorce/and date again with eachothers husbands/wives/girlfriends/boyfriends. The fact that they've all been around the block half a dozen times just diminishes the respect I have for them. If they met people outside of their metaphoric gene pool (cesspool) then perhaps some would have happy relationship for once.

This is another point to Søren Stærmose because the actors are fresh, they are untainted by gossip or previous movies.

The next thing I liked was the reality. I could see myself easily interposed into their lifestyles, not the violent side mind you, but the general living aspect. However, I would never fit into the set of Gossip Girl. God help me if I were.
The plot was tight. I absolutely loved the twists and turns. It was complex and stimulating, yet it wasn't confusing nor was I bored by the quieter scenes. Pretty much disgraced journalist Michael Blomkvist is hired by the Vanger family to help solve a 40 year old mystery. What the Vanger family want to know is: what happened to Harriet Vanger who disappeared off their family island and is assumed dead? As Michael goes through old evidence and Harriet's belongings, he discovered that she was on an investigative mission herself which may have been the reason she went missing.

Harriet Vanger

Lisbeth Salander was hired to keep an eye on Michael and in the process becomes involved when she can't resist pointing out her interpretation of the clues. Michael tracks her down and convinces her to join and together, they uncover a whole multitude of answers that reveal how dark and twisted the Vanger family are. This is the bare bones of the story because there are minor plots in the background related to Lisbeth and her personal hell.

EDIT: I hear America is considering doing an english version. Freaking out. They've chosen Daniel Craig to play Michael. Noooo!

Coffee Art!

2010-08-13T20:45:00.002+12:00

A few weeks ago I entered a coffee art competition and I won! The requirements for the competition was to use the tWist cups. Let me tell you, its harder to do free pour art in those deep containers, but I managed. Here are my entries (enjoy!):

Hair Competition Continued

2010-08-12T08:31:00.004+12:00

Here are the photos I took after the Hair Competition. I love them! What happened was this: after the competition finished at midnight, we took a taxi to school and had a photo shoot in the studio at 1 in the morning. Needless to say I was so tired at work the next day.

I set up the lighting and took the white Agnes and Geisha photos and Stefanie took photos of me. Since this is my blog I've posted more of myself ^_^. Aren't I vain?

Anyway. My hair doesn't look so good now. In fact, when it gets wet I can just tug it and hunks fall out. *Sigh* I knew this would happen, the hairdresser warned me, but I feel pretty sad about it. I might go and get a full head shave and start again with virgin hair. Still, the photos were worth it!

I love these Geisha photos. They were my favorite to do and look at. She was one of the best models I've ever had. Everything about the event was worth it and fun.

Gotta go now, class starts in four minutes.

Hair Competition

2010-08-06T09:41:00.014+12:00

I've been busy with the hair competitions, as I said in my last post. I am a hair model for Head High and I love it! Though this is probably the last time I'll do outrageous colour because I'm finishing Uni this year and I might be getting a bit old...well, maybe not old but it requires so much work to keep it looking good. I'm so excited for my friend, I hope she does well, she's so anxious about it.

She's entering two categories. Me with the colour & cut and my Japanese friend "S" who's in the up-do category. I saw "S" yesterday at the hair dresser where they did a mock run. She looked amazing with her hair elaborately piled on her head and dressed in her kimono that was sent from Japan especially for the event. The style is supposed to be a modern interpretation of a Geisha hairstyle.

For me, I've already had the colour put in, but it will be cut on the day in front of the audience. They're going to remove 70% of the hair, which is cool though I'll miss my bob. Nonetheless, I wouldn't change anything, its been worth it for the fun and experience. Afterward I intend to do a photo shoot of the hair and outfits. I'll post the finished photos when I'm done.

Here's some photos of the colour:

Wanganui Chronicle

2010-08-05T23:37:00.004+12:00

Woo-hoo! Nef was in the news paper recently! She was there to promote the Underground Youth Fashion show by providing photos and an interview about one of the outfits she's to enter. It's all very exciting, though Nef was less than ecstatic when she saw herself in the newspaper.

Nef provided the photo of the garment because she wanted the image to be perfect, despite this, they only provided a small spinet of the photo. However, the photo that the Chronicle took of her (much to her horror) was the largest image on the page. Have a giggle:

It was so weird because you'd think they'd put the image of the outfit up. We wonder if its because they weren't so keen to display a photo they didn't take themselves. Same for the web documentation by the Chronicle: they put the picture of her instead of the outfit on display.

Internet article (reference).

Who knows! Maybe we're just being unfair. Anyway, I'm so tired with preparation for the hair competition this Saturday I'm gonna have to terminate this post and go to bed. Talk to you later.

Granny-Style Jaffa Slice

2010-07-09T00:07:00.007+12:00

Not the most "flash" treat I've ever made, in fact, I have to admit that it's rather...modest and homely. But it tastes awesome! Too bad making food seriously dampens my appetite *sigh*.

Ingredients for base:
230g butter
1 cup coconut
2 cups flour
1 cup icing sugar
4 tsp cocoa
2 tsp baking powder

Pre-heat oven to 120-150 degrees.

1. Use a sponge roll tin and grease before lining with baking paper. I know my tin is non-stick, but this helps so much in removing the slice.

2) Cream the butter and add the icing sugar. When these are combined add the rest of the dry ingredients and combine. I would not suggest using an electric beater because the mixture gets real thick at this point. Instead, I used my fingers as if I were making apple crumble.

3) When the mixture looks like this...

4. ...Press into the baking tin and toss in the oven for eight minutes. When it comes out, allow to cool and start with the next part.

Ingredients for marshmallow filling:
1 cup sugar
1 cup boiling water
1 rounded tbsp geletine
Orange Essence
Colour

5. Put sugar and gelatin in pot on a medium-low heat until it starts to boil. When it does boil, turn it down to low and leave for ten minutes.

6. When ten minutes are up, remove from stove and let it sit to cool for ten minutes. Add the orange essence. I used about two teaspoons.

7. Use electric beater to whip the gelatin mixture.

8. Add the colour. I wanted orange so I combined yellow and red. I added quite a lot of colour, but I have found that when the mixture expands, the colour fades.

9. It should start to look like this...

10. Pour over slice and leave to set. This can take a few hours.

11. Next, get white chocolate and melt in a bain-marie. Or you can microwave till it melts. Do not use full power as the chocolate will burn, instead put it on a defrost setting.

My biggest fear with a bain-marie is getting water in the chocolate. Water + melted chocolate = one big lumpy impossible mess.

12. Spread chocolate lightly over marshmallow.

13. Voila! Finito. As I said earlier, not my best cooking but its tasty.

I swear I'm gonna be fat when the term re-starts.

Holidays = making people fat

2010-07-02T16:42:00.008+12:00

Too much time has seen Stef and I spend heaps of money and way too many hours than is appropriate to create a baby card for someone we don't even know. We did it because dad asked nicely and it provided a cool challenge. We decided to use blue (cuz it's a boy) but add a retro vibe to the card. We even put a pop-up inside. And made an envelope...And made marshmallows.

Yes, we went way over the top for someone we've never even heard of before Tuesday. It was fun though.

The marshmallows are vanilla (blue) and orange (orange) flavour with toasted coconut. They were tasty, albeit, I'm not that fond of marshmallow.

I attempted a recipe from the new Frankie Magazine recipe book "Sweet Treats". I made the cherry balls with a slight twist, I added rum instead of copha and it was glorious! So tasty. They have coconut, glacé cherries and the rum (oh the rum!) then they were dipped in milk chocolate. They were devoured before they were even a day old. Poor babies.

I managed to save two though, which I decorated up and gave to my boss to cheer her up a bit. I'm becoming a domestic fiend.

Right-o. That's all for now.

Marshmellows!

2010-06-29T23:07:00.003+12:00

Stef made marshmallow yesterday and all the marshmallows in these pictures are GONE! Stef took some for her co-workers and the rest went to Mrs. A, my boss and Savannah's friend who just returned from Thailand.

They were soft, fluffy and awesome to eat. I plan to make marshmallow cones soon...

By the way, Stef got into the Sarjeant Art Gallery with her chips poster!

Ionasphere

Part two: Holiday in Queenstown

So much to blog about!

An exciting day (not).

★✩✮ Happy New Year ✮✩★

Christmas Pressies!

★✝♥ Time with Family ♥✝★

I'm a part of history!

Guess what I'm eating...

Schools out

Makeup Post

Ok. Today will be a day of study.

Friday R & R

Fire Alarms

Coffee time!

My excuses...

Testing! Testing!

Ok! Ok! An Update!

I'm sick!

Week 1: Got through it!

Another picture entry

More of Queenstown

QRC

Trip to Queenstown

Happy Birthday Mum!

GO AB'S!

A photo a day...

A photo a day...

A photo a day...

A photo a day...

A photo a day...

A photo a day...

A photo a day while the mouse is away

A picture a day...

A picture a day...

A picture a day keeps boredom at bay

An achievement!

Sloppy Blogger *Sigh*

How was work today?

New Goodies!

A quick note: I'm Home

Chocolate Boutique. Arg! So yum!

BED BUGS ~ not even kidding

Week 15: Vintage Beauty

I have a cold!!!

Week 14: Nanas & serial killers

WARNING! Rapist / serial killer

Week: I'm-not-sure-any-more

Lucky Lucky Iona!

Week 10: Weird-as week •_•'>

You'd think in Auckland they'd get it right.

Week 9: A Brow-less Birthday

Week 8: Pretty (bald) Medieval Maidens

Week 7: mono-brows, models & naked people

Ravishing Beauty; no kidding!

Week 6: Sultry, sulky & sleepy

St. Patricks Day

Week 5: E for Elegance, Entertainment & Eating

Week 4: Natural, Natural, NATURAL

Week 3: Corrective Makeup

Pictures!

Week 2: C, T, M & Chinese Lanterns

Week 1: Boils, zits, burns & makeovers

First Day

In Auckland!

The Plan...

Shopping

Just photos

Happy New Year!

∆ Wrath of Eyjafjallajökull ∆

My new "Do"

Samantha Inspired: Vintage Skirt

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Coffee Art!

Hair Competition Continued

Hair Competition

Wanganui Chronicle

Granny-Style Jaffa Slice

Holidays = making people fat

Marshmellows!

Sloppy Blogger Sigh