A Pink Visitor

Today I looked outside and to my surprise, there on the doorstep was a pink leaf. It was very pretty, but it had me thinking one thing: Autumn. I looked over to the fence which is covered by the plant which spawns these leaves, and spotted several with a reddish tinge. How can this be? The days have been so hot and humid lately. I suppose the odd cooler night must have crept in. I have plans which mean that it must stay hot until the end of March. However, March is officially the beginning of Autumn, and I see that Nature has realised this and is getting a head start for tomorrow. *sigh* I had hoped that as Summer didn't even start until mid-January, it would extend itself a month or two. Another ominous sign is that I've had to put my slippers on today for the first time this year. Here's hoping it will stick around for a few weeks longer, with or without pink leaves.

The Great Bikini Expedition

I finally admitted that my togs really are wearing out, and the inevitable trip to get some more loomed on the horizon. Is it possible that shopping for togs is worse than shopping for bras? Finding one style and shape that fits and looks okay is a mission. And you have to live with it for quite some time.

I first went to Dressmart, the factory/outlet mall in Onehunga. At the first shop I tried on a couple of things, and decided that halter necks are really not for me. To get any kind of support, the straps would have to be tight enough to cut into your neck. Not flattering. But a trend this season, apparently. I decided that the “boy” pants are quite good though – pity the pattern was ugly and the other half was the aforementioned halter neck.

I looked through two more shops without reaching the changing room – shop one: hideous patterns; shop two: nothing but bikini tops with only pathetic triangles of fabric. Do the girls who buy these tops actually go swimming, or just lie around on the beach? Because I’m sure if I put one of those on and dove into a pool, or jumped into the surf, I would be popping out of it in an instant. Useless. No, an under wire and a bit more fabric is mandatory.

At my last stop at Dressmart, I found a potentially good looking black bikini top (without matching bottoms, but that can be solved more easily). When I slipped it on, I was pleased with the cup fit, but I couldn’t do it up. Then I looked at the tag and realised the problem. I had seen “D” written on it in ink, but had failed to see the printed “8”. I can see why these two tops are sitting in the outlet shop. Come on, 8D? No-one in real life is naturally that size. Who designed this bikini top? An optimistic male, one surmises.

Heading to St Lukes and the best swimsuit shop ever, we parked and I marched to the spot. Tragedy struck. The shop was gone! The old-faithful had disappeared. The space had previously been occupied by a dazzling range of patterns, shapes and sizes. Now another generic fashion label occupies it. That swimsuit shop had been there for years. Dismayed, I searched through the entire mall, hoping it had just relocated. No luck. Does anywhere know where this shop has gone and why?

Seeing as I’m going out of town on the weekend, I really do need to buy some new togs this week. Wish me luck for the bikini expedition: part two.

Don't you just love it...

... when you get a result from a quiz that's actually accurate? Not only that, but it encourages you to be yourself and be proud. I did this test, and here's my result.

INFJ - "Author". Strong drive and enjoyment to help others. Complex personality. 1.5% of total population.

Fantastic! I am supposed to be an author - it's my personality type! Apparently this test is similar in theory to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Kiersey Temperment Sorter. It measures four bipolar factors, Introversion/Extroversion, Thinking/Feeling, Intuition/Sensing, and Judging/Percieving. I've never done Myers-Briggs, so to have a go at this one for free was cool.

What are you?

Rant: In the post-feminist age

You know, I think the second world war is responsible for many detrimental effects to society. Apart from the obvious ones, like millions of dead people and general violence in the world, one which bugs me is the fact that while all the men went to war, the women moved out of their homes and into the workforce. And when the men came back, these women were like "What? You want to take my job away! I don't think so!" but then they got pregnant and became unhappy housewives. Then throughout the next few decades women decided they wanted to choose when (and if) home life was for them, and the career women was born.

Here's the problem - now that women have proved they can be a productive force in the workplace, society expects every women to desire a career. It's such a change in 50 years - the world went from no (married) women working, to every women having to.

Like most girls, I went along with it. I wondered what I wanted to be when I grew up, then realised that I would make no money from my passions (wildlife and writing) so chose a degree which best suited my strengths. Three jobs later, I'm completely disillusioned with the whole process, especially now that I'm married and I have a little home to look after and someone to cook for (don't get me wrong - we share the duties equally). I actually hate 'working'. I hate the getting up at un-natural times, I hate the traffic getting there, I hate the false little greetings, the queue of tedious tasks, the pathetic coffee banter, the mindset of needing to slave away just to make a corporate more money, the long afternoon with even more tedium, the stupid meetings, the jargon, the pressure... and I really hate getting home and absolutely not feeling like I have the energy or desire to make the most of the evening.

I think I realised I wasn't cut out for the workplace when I was engaged. My fiance and I were studying one of those books dispensing advice for couples like us. It was talking about the essential needs of men and women. One of the needs for men was to have a restful home, and for women was to have financial security. You may think these ideas outdated, but it struck a real chord with me. I do want to be the nurterer, who makes everything look just right, who cooks lovely meals and who greets her husband at the door. And of course he wants that - who wouldn't? What's the complication? Money, of course. He's still studying (though he does work as well), and we can't even afford the lovely food. The good news is that by the time we feel like having kids, he'll probably be making enough to support me. But it's going to be a tough road in the meantime - me feeling trapped and him feeling guilty.

I don't want to sound ungrateful. I like the idea of supporting him. But why does the workplace have to suck so much? Am I the only one who doesn't have any career aspirations? People look at you funny when you say you don't have a five year plan for your career. It just doesn't fulfil me. Funny how when you first get introduced to someone, they always ask, "what do you do?" which of course translates to occupation. Why must our jobs so much define who we are?

It seems that some of the world shares my views on not believing everything hardcore feminists would tell us. There was a documentary on recently showing how many young Mums (in the US) are choosing now to stay at home. Their mother's generation saw it as a priveledge to go out and work, but they see it as a right to stay at home. Good on them (as long as they're not in debt or on welfare or anything). I really think it's important for a mother to be with her child in its formative years. There has been much published on how much more stable kids are when they've had this quality time. Probably a lot of the violence and problems in society could be prevented if kids just had a stable home life with a mother and father... but that's another story.

I better stop this rant now. Wish me luck as I look for another trapping, I mean job. Or wish that I'll finish my novel soon and it will sell millions, either one.

***

12 March update - Looks like I'm not alone in feeling this way...

Movie review: The Phantom of the Opera

I've been a fan of this musical since I first heard the soundtrack when I was little. I saw the stage production a few years ago. I was curious to see how this movie would stack up, nearly twenty years after the show was born.

The first obvious change from the original show is the character of the Phantom. Michael Crawford played him as a middle aged, pasty, bulky and lurking character. His music is really his only attraction - and to that end he has a fabulous voice. In this movie, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Joel Schumacher have changed tack. Gerard Butler is a younger, tanned, and basically sexy phantom - but his voice is lacking the power and polish needed for the role. Inconsistencies aside, I found his magnetism gave the movie extra emotional pull, as it's very easy to feel sympathy for this more attractive phantom, who just happens to have a scarred face and murders a few people here and there.

While we're on the face - how come Gerard's hair is perfectly styled on both sides all throughout the film, but at the end a great deal of it disappears into scars? *shrug* And why does Meg suddenly appear in tight leather pants at the end? Oh well.

I thought that Emmy Rossum was fabulous as Christine, and Raoul (Patrick Wilson) was pretty good too. Minnie Driver was hilarious. Miranda Richardson was creepy but maternal at the same time. I found myself cringing during the portrayal of the back story - the freak show was a bit too much for me - but I suppose they thought it was necessary to impart how horrible people were to the phantom in his youth.

The music was pretty much the same as the original, except they took to speaking a lot of previously sung lines. In parts where the phantom is supposed to perform magic in the original (appearing suddenly, or taking over people's voices), the tricks were given logical explanations. Instead of lurking, this phantom leaps about and plunges down trapdoors.

In summary - loved the film, in the end deciding I like the new take on the phantom's character. If you like musicals, you'll love it.

Official site
Fan site
Imdb

Another unnecessary debate: the NZ flag

Why must people get these ideas of out nowhere to change something which has served us perfectly well until now. These people have too much time on their hands - they should just concentrate on their blogs ;-)

My wallet and I are getting depressed just thinking about all of the taxpayer's money that would have to be sacrificed just for the administration of changing it. Think of all the things that would have to be altered throughout the world... the mind boggles.

However, if it does have to be changed, surely it should be the silver fern? It's an emblem that we all identify with, and it doesn't have any bias towards one race or nationality.

For more, go to this site. The following images are from NZFlag.com.

The existing design:



My favourite amongst the new designs:



Very popular design:

Are you there, Naomi?

I'm sorry, but why is Paul Holmes attempting to operate the telephone all by himself on his new show? On both of the occasions that I have tuned in, he has had trouble getting the person on the other end of the line. Either they don't appear at all, or it's a different person. I'm sure the man tonight, to whom Paul responded, "My, that's a deep voice you have, Naomi" will be psychologically scarred (although it was quite amusing to us onlookers).

It's nice that they're trying to make Paul look like he's in control of everything, but he obviously doesn't know how to work it properly. The man would have more credibility if someone else was pushing the buttons (the right ones) for him.

Just a small comment on the content of tonight's last topic - why was Paul interviewing a Maori language publicist on the topic of supermarket staff in Grey Lynn? It hardly seemed appropriate. Surely someone from the supermarket trade would have been better - either from management or someone from the shop floor. Correct me if I'm wrong, but are there that may Maori people in Grey Lynn anyway?

Book review: "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" by Alexander McCall Smith

I waited in the request line at the library for several months to get this one. It seems that everywhere you look, people are raving about it. I started reading with very high expectations.

It was a very enjoyable read, but I wouldn't go as far as saying it is the best thing I've ever read. I'll quickly go over my quibbles: The author is obviously very passionate about the African landscape. This is not a bad thing - but I did find my attention wandering when, in certain parts of the book, page after page was dedicated to lengthy descriptions. I wanted to find out where Mma Ramotswe was heading next, and I felt that these bits slowed things down too much. Also, there are some quite dark elements to the plot which disturbed me - such as violence, rape and child mutilation. These are dealt with sensitively, but still I was not expecting them and was unpleasantly surprised.

These small personal negatives aside, the book is a lovely diversion from mainstream detective/mystery novels. The personality of the protagonist is what drives the action and the ways in which she solves matters are very original and often amusing. I can't see Miss Marple picking up someone else's guy in a bar to prove he's unfaithful! Mma Ramotswe is also making countless little observations about life which are humorous yet profound.

At the end of the edition I was reading, the first chapter of the next installment was included. I could have happily continued reading on, so I suppose that means I have developed a thirst for these stories. The thing that mainly intrigued me was the hilarious way Mma Ramotswe reacts when she goes to Mr J.L.B. Matekoni's house! Anyway, suffice to say the first book is mostly charming and packed with little surprises to delight the reader.

Rant: ish

We are turning into the world of the “ish”.

“What time will I meet you?”
“Let’s see… I can make it by 2…ish. I’ll call you.”

It’s all so approximate. You never quite know when anything is going to happen. I blame it on cell phones. Before mobile technology, you had to be on time, so you’d plan your day with enough time to get places. Now, we’re always calling or texting, “On my way”, “Will be five minutes late”, “Stuck in traffic”. The cell phone is an excuse for putting far too many activities into your day – because even if you get behind you can always let people know.

I feel sorry for the few people who get there on time. You then have to relay the messages: “John’s running late”, “Kate might not make it”, “Susan will be here soon” and twiddle your thumbs while the “ish”s to turn up.

I think it would be a very freeing exercise to leave the cell phone at home for the day, or even for the week. You can only be contacted when you’re in the office. You can only schedule so many things, because you have to be on time. Maybe you’ll even be early!

Imagine going on holiday and not being able to check your messages – even personal ones. Could you handle being in complete isolation? Isn’t that what holidays used to be about? We’re so afraid we’ll miss something, or be “out of the loop”. In truth, constantly being in so many loops can get exhausting.

Remember when we weren’t always talking to people all day, we’d actually have things to catch up on face to face. A little mystery in life. Wouldn’t that be nice?

CD Review: The Essential Ella (Verve)

This was my very first Ella album. It's a great introduction to her wonderful style, consisting mainly of standards. They have been picked by the good people at Verve from Ella's "Great American Songbook" albums, and were originally produced by the legendary Norman Granz.

I can't pick a favourite song - they're all so good - but highlights are probably "With a Song in my Heart", "I Got Rhythm" and "Misty". The album includes the song that brought Ella into the limelight ("A-Tisket, A-Tasket") and the time she forgot the words to "Mack the Knife". There are songs to suit just about every mood. We even chose to do our wedding dance to "From This Moment On".

I can't recommend this album enough for someone who is wanting to get a good sampling of Ella Fitzgerald.

Mission Bay Jazz and Blues Fest

Yes, I was one of the thousands who attended this street festival last night. A great time had by all, I should think. Not only did it prove to be a great place to drink in snippets of a huge variety of music styles, but we also bumped into several people we knew milling about.

After the obiligatory hike from the car, we were very pleasantly surprised by the first offering we came across: "Shaken not Stirred". Other highlights included the "Off the Cuff" group from Avondale College, "Torch Songs", and the "Chris Mason-Battley Group". We finished with a great half hour with the sensational "Tuxedo Swing Orchestra", which was my favourite. Lovely moments to be had sitting under the stars in my husband's arms, drinking in the sweet sounds.

Time didn't allow us to visit all the bands, but there's always next year.


Lights on Tamaki Drive, leaving the festival


Fountain at Mission Bay

Site for creative types

Big Idea is a good place to go to find out what's happening in the artistic world. It calls itself "an online community of New Zealand's creative industries".

If you produce work yourself, or just want to see what others are up to, it's a great place to keep a finger on the pulse. I frequently check out the job section. Any events, awards, successes etc in the world of NZ creativity is featured.

What I'm listening to: Coast

This radio station is at 105.4FM. It's great for people like me who are fans of jazz and pop classics. It's kind of a mix between Solid Gold (93.4FM), which plays 60's pop and the old Cool Blue (99.0FM) which was a mix of jazz/blues.

Coast is generally good value. A good mix of jazz (upbeat stuff plus ballads), early pop and musicals. The good thing is that it never has more than 60 seconds of ads at a time. I have however noticed that the breaks are getting more frequent as of late. Another niggle is the very frequent news, sports, and weather (all punctuated with ads). If I want news, I will listen to Newstalk ZB, or any other station. I listen to Coast for the music. The presenters are occasionally annoying too - that's why Cool Blue was so good - no presenters or news! The only other fault is the same thing you get with all radio stations - they do their promo, playing lots of little snippets of songs. You find yourself singing along to the snippets (especially if you've just tuned in at that point in time), and then they switch to another good song. But do you ever hear these high quality songs in the actual play list? Unfortunately not. I'd like to see a greater range of songs from the great artists - you can practically predict what Frank Sinatra song they'll play from a list of 3 - and some Ella Fitzgerald, please!!

Recipe: Yorkshire Pudding

This is one of those odd English creations, which originated as a way to fill tummies cheaply (i.e. without meat). It was always a favourite in my family, and now my husband is a firm convert. I'm always amazed as to how many people haven't heard of it. But no roast meal is complete with these little gems, drenched in gravy. I think that, traditionally, the pudding was served at the beginning of the meal, in order to fill the aforementioned tummies, but we like to eat it at the end, as a final treat. Here the version we make. You can make one big pudding, but we tend to make 12 individual ones in a sort of antique muffin pan. Here's what you need to know.

Make the batter at least 1/2 an hour before dinner - several hours is better. In a bowl, put 2-3 heaped tablespoons of flour, and a good pinch of salt. Mix with a spatula. Add 1-2 heaped tablespoons of milk powder and mix well (I have often made this without the milk powder when we'd run out, and it was fine. Just use some milk as well as water at the end). Add one egg, and mix to a smooth consistency. Then add a little water, and mix again until smooth. Keep adding a little water and mixing, until you have a kind of porridgey consistency. Then leave until you're ready to use it.

The key to good yorkshire pudding is hot oil/fat. Get the tray/dish you'll be baking it in, and put in just enough oil to line the bottom (the oil will expand when hot). Your oven should be at least 200 degrees celsius - you would have had your roast meat and veggies in there. Put the oil in for a good five minutes. Take it out, immediately put the mixture in (it may need a little stirring first, and perhaps a bit more water) and put in the oven. Bake until risen and gold brown - should be about 10 minutes. Cool on a rack for a few minutes, and then serve with lashings of gravy.

As you can see, this recipe is rather approximate - it's one of those things that you just fiddle with until you get it right. I think that you're only supposed to have yorkshire pudding with roast beef, but we like it so much that we have it with any roast - beef, lamb, even chicken.

Enjoy!

Movie review: 84 Charing Cross Road

This is one of those charming movies about the letters interchanged between two dear friends. He (Anthony Hopkins) is the owner of a bookshop at the title address, and she (Anne Bancroft) is an American author with an apetite for rare English books. It is set during World War Two. The gentle movie is enjoyable because of the friendship cultivated between such different characters half a world away. Even though they never meet, the friendship becomes the most important part of their lives.

This is a slow, rambling sort of movie, a bit like "Remains of the Day", but less depressing. Don't expect lots of action, but expect to feel a true connection with the characters and sympathy for their situation. It's amazing how excited the English women are over their package of stockings! Highly recommended.

When I was in London I was wanting to find the address of the film, but to no avail. My friend and I walked down part of Charing Cross Rd (near the tube station) and there were no charming little shops to be found. Perhaps I was at the wrong end?

Imbd

A couple of great links

Well, I think they are anyway. Hours of entertainment to be had at...

The Republic of Pemberley
This is a great site for Jane Austen fans with a wonderful community feel. I particularly like Lady Catherine's board. I'm going to check out the Austen Blog site too.

Tickle (formerly Emode)
Lots of fun quizzes to do. Find out your wedding date (even if you're single). Which dog are you? What's your theme song?

I see we are to have a new... Princess Consort

Charles and Camilla engaged at last. Of course I don't approve of Charles having an affair during his marriage to Diana, but it can't be easy having to consult millions of strangers over whether your second marriage would be a popular move.

"Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall" is quite a nice title I suppose, but becoming the "Princess Consort" after Charles is King is a bit of a bummer. Is that because of all of the past "consorting" I wonder?

Here's an article from the Herald now that she's out showing off her ring...

In a previous article, I read that Charles will be visiting NZ next month, and that will be his last public engagement before the April wedding (he'll be in Auckland 9-10 March if you're interested). Wish he'd bring William and Harry along.

Welcome to my blog

Greetings from my corner of the world.

The kinds of things I'll be putting up here might be to do with current events, the entertainment world, recipes I've tried, books I read, what TV I'm watching, movies or DVDs I've seen, and general rants.

Thanks for coming to visit - grab a cup of hot chocolate (with marshmallows) and stay a while!