Social Media updates and exciting new ventures.

So, so, much has changed in the past two weeks. 

To be honest it's a bit overwhelming how much life changes; for the better. 

First of all I dusted off my camcorder and started filming a few things for my YouTube channel. You can see the latest things here; Lisa Taylor's YouTube... and on that note - started talking to more local YouTubers on Facebook - slowly gaining followers, can only hope to grow more by recording more and furthering my own skills in editing, recording etcetera.

I see a lot of the local YouTuber's seem to solely do YouTube...
I'm still happy to have Pinterest, Instagram, this blog and Facebook going on. I created a page on Facebook for the Blog and YouTube updates - I'm thinking that I should really make it include the other social media stuff too: instagram, twitter and Snap Chat too. Just literally downloaded Snap Chat again, and I'm really unsure on that app!

Outside of Social Media: I'm teaching more, I have four adult students now. They are all from South Korea which is interesting. Mostly I've taught South Korean's here and a few Chinese people too.

I'm on a break for the year from university. It's exams right now, and I was clever enough to choose a paper which was all internal. I'm waiting on my final essay's grade which should be out by the time the Summer Semester begins.

Over Summer - after Christmas (so January and February), I'll be going crazy with Summer Shakespeare where I'm the Front of House Manager** - no pressure! The team -including me- was featured in Victorious the VUW alumni magazine recently - you can see that article and photo here. Was an awesomely fun photoshoot, and new for me- normally I'm on the other side of the camera and taking videos and such, so it was nice to play Model for an afternoon!

Just have to invoke my inner Queen Bee (Beyonce too!).

In a few weeks I'll be down to the Skeptics Conference again - 

Christchurch you'd better be ready for us! 

I'll be there for a few days with Dan and the local skeptics doing the conference talks 

and recording the podcast... 

IF I remember I'll also film some stuff to upload when we get back.

Music that has me singing along:

Adele's Hello! (2015)
Britney's Work B*  (2013).

Movies I love: 

The Minions movie (2015)
Moulin Rouge (2001)
Harry Potter - all of them (2001-2011)

Don't care that this is also from 2013: Selena's song Come and Get It 

- always makes me dance and sing along!
Also reminds me (fond memories) of working at a job I had for a few weeks when this song first came out and we played it in the store every day, super loud. 

One good thing about having a bit of time off before the craziness of Summer Shakespeare begins, means I have more time to catch up with and see friends...

So friends (yes this is me being my usual dorky, awkward self):  

It also means that YES I'm heading home to Taranaki for Christmas - see you soon New Plymouth!


**NOTE: This is the same page used every year, so in 2016 it will change to the next play for shows in February of the following year. Show dates for Love's Labours Lost are for February 2016.

27 things to do when you're 27

Tomorrow I'll be turning 27 and I remember reading an article about a year ago someone wrote on the "27 things you're meant to do by age 27" or something, and the internet went into an uproar about the suggestions because it was like - don't listen to boy bands when you're over 27... and only wear, do and say certain things.

Well in response there was a pile of awesome bloggers (and others) who replied: Screw you and your thoughts, here's what we have to say! 

Here are my own 27 things while I'm 27, that I hope to accomplish in this year:

1. Continue with my education:
Get my degree.
Seek out the best ESOL teaching training options, and pursue them!

2. On Love:
Get engaged? Get married? Have fun with Dan.
Be smart about what to say when someone asks when you're getting married - it's very personal.

3. Be in the moment... 
Too often I'm busy, busy, busy and too hectic to just be.

4. See more of the world, and the beautiful country I live in. 
Go exploring in a new (to me) part of town. Take photographs and get awesome memories in the process (to later share some on here and Instagram too).

5. Use Sunscreen. 
Skin Cancer in my family means I'm already at a higher risk for it than I'd like.
Use the proper SPF stuff.

6. Stop worrying about what anyone else thinks of you, just what you think of you. Who cares if you buy your clothes on sales, or from the bargain section of the shop?

7. Get more of my university assignments in, on time. Being on time is a great skill to have too.

8. To learn how to appreciate being alone. To think. Plan. Make my own path for the future.

9. On saying No when you really don't want to (or can't) do something.
This is something I've been working on. I find it easier now to say no, but then the guilt gets me. I need to work on losing that guilty feeling (like I'm letting someone down by saying No.)

10. Update my Instagram / social media accounts more. But don't let it become an obsessive need to do it. Weekly updates are probably best.
And to post my blog posts onto my Facebook page each Monday when they're published here too.

11. Have more time with Friends. We're all so busy all the time with work, school, and other commitments that we barely see each other for months on end. (Crazy!)
I'm going to be trying to meet up with a couple of friends for walks/ swims and chats more often.

12. Learning a new skill. I've been working on teaching ESOL for a few years now and I'm still learning constantly. I teach one on one, so those kinds of lesson set ups with a student don't scare me. (They used to!) ... whereas I'm still not 100% in the way I teach, so I'm learning to be more perceptive of how my student learns and adapting my teaching style to them.

13. On food: 
Learn how to cook a signature dish. Mine just might be couscous. A year or so back Dan admitted to me that he couldn't stand rice. One evening I decided to try making couscous and we both love it. I've learned over time that couscous needs more flavour so adding some cumin and butter is awesome.

14. On fashion: 
I'm no fashionista! Generally I wear clothes that are comfortable. I'm not into fashion or the latest runway styles. I have my usual grab and go set that I wear often (I'm looking at you leggings!)... Recently I bought a crop top, so I am keen to learn how to wear that. It's striped white and black. If anyone has tips - leave me a comment.

15. Find, follow, and comment on other people's blogs. 
I recently found Helene in Between on BlogLovin'.
BlogLovin' also has a great email newsletter which puts you in touch with other blogs you may like. I've been subscribed to the main email list for a while, and love it.

16. Use protection: 
If you're like me and don't want a baby now, then use protection. I have my copper IUD in still, but there's lots of other options out there.

17. Figure out your finances:
Student loan? Yeah, and it's not pretty. ~$45,000 owing on mine*.
The good news is though, that I have no other debts. No credit cards and no overdraft. 
I had a $500 overdraft, with my bank and paid it off quickly. I also cut off that feature so I can't go into more debt again.
And just as I set myself a goal to aim for: to buy myself a tablet (to use for teaching, as well as University study...) and then I realise - fully upset now - about how close it is to Christmas.
This year is the final one I'll be having at home with my family; Next year (2016) is all about studying and saving hard to afford TESOL studies in 2017... before moving overseas! (late 2017 / early 2018).
*I haven't finished my studies either, so I have a little more which will go on there in the next 18 months. 

18. Creating a more homely home:
Keeping on top of my chores better, not letting washing pile up, or dishes take over the tiny kitchen.

19. Professional, in attire and in personality:
This is a current gap in my wardrobe, I dress relatively smart casual (so I think anyway?) So I have a distinct lack of black nice trousers and such for interviews and more business attire in general.

20. Making my health a priority: Up until I turned 25 I was biting my nails and making a right mess of my hands. It effected my self esteem and my feelings of worth.
Now I'd like to work on myself as a whole - eating well, drinking more water and just generally taking care of myself better. Since being diagnosed with Asthma at 21, I've let it be an excuse for my bad weight and health choices. I can exercise. I am lazy; I need people to support me in my fitness goals.
I am not trying to lose weight per se, but to become overall more healthy.

21. Facing things head on: If there's something difficult in the way, to face it like an adult and accept that things may be difficult. It's only a challenge for the moment. It won't last forever.

22. On music: 
Listen to whatever makes you feel something (it could make you dance and be happy, or cry...)

23. There's always a lesson to be learned: No matter what life throws your way, there's always something you can learn from the good, the bad or the ugly that comes your way.
Use these lessons in positive ways.


#24 credit

25. Stand aside from those who do not agree with you and your views. Embrace the whole "agree to disagree" vibe of life. 

  #25 credit.

26. Stop comparing yourself to others. 

The Jones' aren't at the same stage of their life as you are, and that's okay. 

Your life is not their life (and vice versa).

Life in the moment and just learn to be.

27. Be yourself.

Stop being ashamed of who and how you are. Embrace your quirks. 

You're you and your friends and family love you for being you. 

Warmth in Winter: Food

Of course during Winter time it's hard to keep spirits high and something I've always found to be good, of course is food. Glorious food. You can keep it all for yourself, or share it with others.

 I like to make enough to share, and then I'm often saddened to see it's just the two of us here for dinner! Ooops! Haha.

After our slow cooker up and died - and was subsequently replaced here, and I had been using it for cooking dinner more. During winter it is nice to come home to a warm meal.
It also makes it easier to face the cold weather and to come home from university for the day knowing that there's warm food (and a warm apartment) waiting for me.

This is my Food board on Pinterest, through Pinterest I found these* easy freezer meals to make and they're perfect to pop into the slow cooker. I changed up some of the recipes slightly - like chicken was cheaper so we had bought it in bulk and I used that in place of some of the beef and lamb things.

In my Pinterest haze I also found Crock pot Roasted Chicken - not in an oven, in the slow cooker:
Slow cooker chicken 1.
Slow cooker chicken 2.

Last night I did a mixture of the recipes and went with my own version, I balled up tinfoil in the bottom of the slow cooker, dried the chicken off, then covered it in cooking oil, herbs and spices and seasoned it well, the let it cook in the slow cooker for about 4 hours on high. While it was going I peeled and washed (a lot) of vegetables: kumara (sweet potatoes), potatoes, carrots, onion (made into a bloom- although I don't use the seasoning in that recipe...), and then when everything was done pour gravy over the whole lot. (Last night gravy turned into cheese sauce, haha. It turns out that I didn't plan the groceries well this month!)
At the end of cooking the chicken - stabbing it has clear juices and not blood, you can crisp up the skin by putting it in the oven under the grill for about ten minutes. While this was going on (with Dan keeping an eye on it, oil tends to alight if not careful), I made up the cheese sauce - no recipe for that, it's a packet one (I'm lazy).

Night two (if there's leftovers) it becomes a stir fry fry up with vegetables, chicken etcetera all in one frying pan. Yum!

Night three (Is that even possible to have three days worth? - It is when there's only two of you.) it becomes another stir fry like the night before, or you add rice and make it a rice risotto?

Photo below: wasn't dinner exactly, but a previous one. 

(Same thing, really, isn't it?)

*Lots of other recipes in there too, 7 more in an hour, and 30 more etc. The links are at the bottom of the blog post in that link.

Warmth in Winter: Fashion

For Wellington winter's I don't do very much differently compared to summer time.
The weather is cooler, but most of my wardrobe is usable year round.
With a few exceptions - one maxi dress isn't possible to wear during winter, but a second one I have is due to the layering I can do to it.

I wear leggings and dresses year round. T-shirts too.  I am fortunate to live in an area of the world that doesn't have a huge variance in temperatures - between 7°C to 21°C.

Most of the Style Board I set up on pinterest shows some of my style, although the pictures are not all from my wardrobe. Although I'm a flat shoes and covering my chest - kind of gal...

I prefer layering; if it's hotter later I can remove enough layers to be comfortable, likewise if it's cooling off I can add more layers if needed. Generally I throw a cardigan into my handbag to layer with if it's needed. Where possible I try not to use heavy items, as lighter items seem to work better together. Likewise a lot of my wardrobe is black, but I'm working on this - adding colour where I can. When we were in Australia earlier this year Dan did buy me a red handbag. It's the perfect size for uni, so I use it for that too.
Layering items is perfect year round too - in summer it's perfect for when it cools off at night, but it's still warm enough to be out; And in winter when the sun is out it can be quite warm, and again cools off dramatically at night.

Below are some of the photos I've taken of me, 

in various styles, 

at various times over the past few years:

Above: Skinny jeans, running shoes, and a scarf from India.

Above: Sunglasses and a maxi dress.

Above: Black dress, leggings and Chuck Taylor shoes. Red belt.

Above: Green woollen coat.

Above: Chuck Taylor shoes with blue floral pants.

Above: Flat sandals with the same blue floral pants.

Above: Owl necklace, hi low top and floral blue pants.

Above: Cardigan with a low/hi top, leggings and boots.

And of course the boyfriend and the perfect prop - an 120 year old Tortoise!

How I organise stuff and a birthday shout out.

Happy Birthday for tomorrow for my little brother Chris!

 What's a birthday without candles and an embarrassing picture of you from when you were young?!

Double trouble, so cute!

Slow Cooker... Replacement and update

So a while ago I made the comment about my slow cooker biting the dust... It up and died on me.  The heating element blew; We could have replaced it ourselves, but we decided it was safer to throw it and buy a new one. I know, it's so wasteful, and I feel a little bad but safety first in our home!

Dan is 28 Happy Birthday honey!

Happy Birthday to the Best Boyfriend ever!**

On Saturday we held a surprise birthday party for him.

It was so hard not to tell him. I had to stay silent for an entire week - and we were together doing a bunch of stuff. 

It was difficult when friends saw us on the street and mentioned getting dinner "on Saturday"... 

I was sure Dan was catching on to the surprise! 

He also noticed I'd thrown a "few" (lots) of extras in the shopping trolley at the supermarket - things we don't normally get like fancy cheeses, wine and birthday cake supplies. 

When he asked me why I said the wine was in case we got guests (his Mum and Nanna are here this weekend, so it's plausible!) and the cheese and cake stuff I said "I just need it... like really. I need it. I'm thinking of doing some baking." (I don't normally do baking due to the flour allergy and Baker's Lung.)

Thankfully he didn't notice all of these little hints, and our friends were good once I'd contacted them *after* seeing them to let them in on their close call! 


Here are some of my favourite photos of my darling Dan from Melbourne travels, to exploring the waterfront...

 **His birthday was last Tuesday - the 17th of March.

A quick run down of how Dan and I met:

"But some people meet in a chatroom and sometimes on Facebook, which is how former New Plymouth couple Lisa Taylor, 24, and Daniel Ryan, 27 met.

Growing up in New Plymouth they had "heaps" of mutual friends, so ended up connected on Facebook. They chatted online for quite a long time, meeting in person when Taylor moved to Wellington.

"We had all these friends in common and we were like, 'How did we never meet in person before now?' "

Facebook worked for Taylor and Ryan, but AUT University psychology lecturer Dr Pani Farvid says research shows people rarely use Facebook for dating and hooking up because it is not very anonymous and people have to be more honest as to who they are."
Excerpt from Taranaki Daily News: Love-in-the-age-of-the-internet. (2013).

What I've learned from blogging and a beg for Help

In may 2010 I decided to create this blog, through all the life changes the one thing that has been there constantly is this blog...

The Apartment Year 3

Wow. Oh how time flies!
Dan and I have been living in our rented apartment for over 2 years now, we just signed on for another year - so we're good until January 2016.

During that time the apartment has housed three (or very, very briefly four) of us at any point in time.
Our first flatmate was with us in the first year, and when her and her girlfriend got engaged they decided to move in together. Since then we met Tom from Invercargill, he's a real character!
The three of us get on quite well and we're lucky he said he was keen to sign on for this year too, so we don't have to do the flatmate find any time too soon!

Special shout out to Tom as it's his birthday today.

A new update - of sorts!

Today, January 22nd I realised that I've been seriously neglecting my writing... So much stuff has happened since December. So many changes are in progress, to be honest it is terrifying me a little.

It's starting to feel a lot like summer

It's coming into Summer time for us here in Kiwi Land.

I've been super busy organising dinners, and events. And I have another conference coming up next week on top of everything else I've been up to!

The days feel longer and sunnier.

 I'm currently enjoying listening to the birds chirping in the trees next to the car parking building next door. I just noticed that the neighbours cat is playing with a bug on the window sill. Adorable.

If you follow me on Instagram you'd see I've been growing out my nails, they're nicely longer now. Nail biting is a horrible habit to have. I am thankful to have done treatment this year to help my anxiety levels and my mental health overall. I'm using a clear nail polish (it's a top and base coat in one) to just have on my nails so I see it's a little shiney. This has helped me stop biting them, so has to be good.

The tree in the lane behind our apartment is lush with new green leaves, they've been there a little while now, maybe a month or so. It's great to look out and see beautiful nature instead of just bland concrete crisscrossed with graffiti,  spray painted art and other tagging.

The local streets have been pulled up and re-sealed around us too, which made for some construction noise filled nights. Wasn't so impressed at being kept up at the time. But the streets look great. I just hope they won't bleed tar everywhere all summer long! (Has been known to happen if the stones weren't thick enough over the tar).
Luckily I've learned some tricks for tar removal - such as using butter, or peanut butter, on the object that has tar on it. Getting it when it's freshly on helps too.
Just spread the butter onto the tar and then rub it off with something you don't care for (like paper towels) as you'll have to throw it out.

Hope everyone is well where you are.

Until next time,
L.

Spring is here and there's just 10 things I love about it

Ten things I love about Spring:

1. My Birthday - on the 22nd, officially it's the Spring Equinox on this date, the official start of spring.
2. The daffodils and other plants getting more (and greener) leaves and flowers. The colours are beautiful.
(That reminds me I should go for a walk in the park soon).
3. The sunshine - past few days, so warm and sunny!
4. The warm days still have cooler nights - so I can sleep.
5. Because it's warmer, there are more opportunities to have a drink after work.
6. Drinking more juices too.
7. I don't have to feel bad about having an ice cream or ice block to cool down.
8. Not having to wear a big, heavy coat or jacket to go out. A light cardy and I'm good to go!
9. Lighter and longer days.
10. Hearing the birds chirping...

My 100th Post and 100 things about me (that you probably don't know)

So apparently it's a 'thing' to do a list of 100 things about yourself for your 100th blog post... I have no idea how I'm going to come up with 100 but we will see how this goes.
This is also the Lucky 100th post, it's taken a few years and a lot of missed posts - I haven't been fantastic at the whole "blog post each week" promise I made years ago!

1. I'm technically a Lisa Marie, in other words officially I don't have a middle name!
2. I'm the oldest in my family - oldest child, oldest sibling, oldest cousin, oldest grandchild (on both sides) as well as oldest granddaughter (on both sides).
3. My High School Sweetheart died when I was 18.
4. My Parents are High School Sweethearts.
5. My Parents share their birthday, although in different years - Dad is older.
6. I learned Dance when I was a child.
7. I cannot wear High Heels.
8. I don't have children and I don't want any: I'm Childfree.
9. I've bitten my nails since I was a child. (Onychophagia).
10. I have been treated for Depression.
11. I'm open about health and contraception.
12. I've talked about having an IUD on Facebook.
13. I have an Instagram account where I upload photos (I'm better at photography than writing it seems!)
14. I love drinking tea. Green tea. Iced. It doesn't bother me.
15. I love pineapples.
16. I'm mildly allergic to coconut.
17. Also mildly allergic to kiwifruit.
18. Badly allergic to Ventolin.
19. I'm Asthmatic - from a Bakery job I had when I first moved to Wellington.
20. I moved to Wellington in June 2009 for University.
21. I'm nearly 26.
22. My birthday is September 22nd.
23. I don't believe in religion, God or otherwise. I'm an Atheist.
24. I love cats, but I'm allergic to them.
25. I want to have a dog, one day.
26. I joined Skeptics In The Pub with Dan - We do a lot of Activism there, like writing ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) complaints about advertising...
27. Dan and I have been together for over 3 years now (and counting!)
28. I spent a year after high school at Art School.
29. I have 6 papers left of my BA to complete at VUW.
30. Dan and I moved into an apartment with a flatmate and we love it.
31. Secretly I love DIY...
32. Last year I had my hair cut off into a Pixie cut - loved it for a while but then really wanted long hair. . .
33. I learned that Hair takes a LONG time to regrow when you chop it all off!
34. This year I was diagnosed with Anxiety Disorder - I've been treated with CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy).
35. Stopped being on the Pill after 11 years... (and got my IUD about 5 months ago).
36. A huge ally for my Queer, Gay, Lesbian, Trans* and Intersex friends.
37. Have been flatting, living away from parents, since I was 18.
38. Learned to drive while I was really depressed - the plus side is that I can't remember how scary it must have been!
39. I have memory problems relating to my depressive episode (at age 18-23).
40. Parents and family now live 4.5 hours away from me.
41. I live in the capital city of New Zealand.
42. I wear glasses for reading.
43. I have my full drivers licence.
44. I adore Bubble Tea (with the Tapioca bubbles).
45. I taught an Asian friend how to boil rice on the stove. (He had only every used a rice cooker).
46. I want to learn how to fly an aeroplane - helicopter.
47. I dressed very tom-boyish as a child.
48. When I turned 22 or 23 I started to dress more femininely; more dresses anyway!
49. I still don't know how to wear skirts well.
50. I wish I knew how to sew better and I want to buy a sewing machine so I can do so.
51. Dan can't drive, so I do it. But we don't have a car so it's not a big deal.
52. I'm quite lazy - but only with certain things.
53. I really don't like exercise - if it's not "fun" I won't do it.
54. I'm still in touch with my high school sweethearts mum.
55. I fear that people close to me, don't actually like me.
56. Justice Crew is the coolest Dance/Song group I've seen in a while.
57. I worked as a Security Guard for 3 days.
58. I have had Panic Attacks.
59. I admin on Facebook for a variety of groups from childfree ones, to fluoride (pro) pages to anxiety groups.
60. One of my childhood school friends fathers is a convicted sex offender.
61. I volunteer for Wellington Rape Crisis, where I work on their behalf in a charity store called Eva's Attic which is a charity shop that runs off donations and volunteers manning the shop. It's all designer and stuff so I've had to learn lots about fashion!
62. I'm quite frugal, possibly because I've always been kind of on the poor end of the middle class scale.
63. I own TWO designer pieces (both brand new) that I got for under 75% off retail through Eva's Attic. (Volunteering has it's perks!)
64. I was a Supervisor in a previous job.
65. I was 2IC in a shop I worked in when I was 19.
66. I have moved house ten times, the first time when I was 7 the most recently in January 2013.
67. My favourite colour right now is Purple.
68. I like the look of tattoos, but I'm scared I'll be allergic to the ink.
69. On the topic of tattoos I can't nail down a design I love, so I'm going to wait.
70. I love the Marvel comics, movies and shows.
71. I adore eating chocolate.
72. Cupcakes are so fun to make and decorate.
73. Cider, and wine are my beverages of choice alcohol wise.
74. I love wearing scarf's.
75. I'm a grammar nerd, but I make mistakes sometimes.
76. I love languages and I'm learning French and Korean.
77. I taught Korean students English for a year.
78. I love baking and try to do so.
79. I have occupational asthma - Baker's Lung, which means I'm allergic to an inhaled Flour particle called alpha amylase and here I wrote about my journey.
80. Although I'm allergic to the dust of Flour, I can still eat it in other things (like in cakes, cupcakes and cookies!)
81.  My Flour allergy is NOT the same as being Gluten Free.
82. I worked in a Pie Shop for over 2 years. (Jesters Pies).
83. I'm trained with Occupational Safety and Health  - in Kitchen Hygiene.
84. I trained as a Barista (coffee making) but the smell of Coffee makes me feel sick.
85. I want to live in Asia - teaching ESOL.
86. I am yet to travel the South Island of New Zealand. I've travelled around 99% of the North Island of New Zealand.
87. My first car was a White Ford Laser, which we bought from my best friend. It was a 1991 one. Sadly after I sold it (to fund the move to Wellington for University in 2009) it was written off by the following owner after us. *My parents bought it for me.
88. I'm often caught not wearing glasses when I should be (anything on the computer and doing anything up close, like reading). *Grabs glasses and puts them on.*
89. I don't know how to wear make up and I am trying to learn. It's my goal before I turn 30 to learn how to do it.
90. I have nice blue eyes.
91. I've been to Melbourne three times. Once with my family, and twice with Dan and his family.
92. Highlight in Melbourne was going on the Oldest wooden roller coaster in the Southern Hemisphere at Luna Park.
93.  I get into marathons of TV shows, so I'll watch the entire season in a short period of time. Most recently The Hills.
94. I drowned a recent cellphone in the washing machine, I was sick and put my dressing gown etc into the wash and realised when it had been going about 30 minutes that my phone was being washed too! Oops!
95. I don't really have a favourite band or music, but I listen to a lot of the Top 40 songs...
96. Dan and I saw Macklemore when he came to Wellington.
97. I'm quite Introverted, so a loud night out ends with me needing a quiet day to relax.
98. First pet was a bird named Barney, a blue budgie.
99. I decorated the sign that hangs outside the Eva's Attic shop (art school paid off!).
100. I had a car crash when I was 20, I backed into someone who drove behind me when I was reversing out of a car park. It was really scary and I still don't like reversing when I'm driving. But like everything, practise makes perfect.

Bonus fact about me: 
I have piercings: 2 in each ear lobe, my industrial bar on one ear and my bellybutton pierced. As always, I wish there were more!

Postage, couriers

One of the downsides to living in an apartment is that with a shared lobby where the letterboxes are is that local post-people and couriers won't leave packages - even if the parcel has a message on it which says to do so! Worse is the couriers who deliver weekly packages to your building but won't keep the door code/ access code on file, even though they come in every week! (*Sigh*)
Today the problem is that the courier won't call to advise the parcel has arrived, and that they don't have access (so can't leave a card for you in the mail box), even though your phone number is right there on the parcel! I swear that the local courier and post-person is out to annoy me sometimes. Hehe.

Then again I know that "they're just doing their job, following the protocol and policies..."
But it is frustrating.

I had an email from the sender, saying they had been told by the local courier (here) that the parcel had had a card to collect/call left, but I have not seen one since my last parcel arrived! I swear they had no access. It is a mixture of annoyance at the sender for not including all information on the address ticket, and the courier for not knowing the door codes (even though they're here - weekly at least) *Apparently it is against company policy for them to know door access codes.*

Still, it is super annoying.

Thankfully I'm still working only casually, so I have a bit of time to go down and talk to the lovely people at the local post shop to get things moving, but it's still a pain. That time I could be spending on doing actual worthwhile things. (Like catching up on laundry - it never seems to end, doing chores, shopping for groceries, or something fun like dancing around in the living room! - With loud blaring music off the TV station.)

Happy Blogging!

3 years and 5 months ago I started this blog. {Way back in 2010} Now look how it's changed and adapted to suit my life and what's happening now. I've gone from writing about the Pacific and Literature (university studies!) to my life experiences. The day to day. The real life 'stuff' that's happening to me.

I went from joking about 'crushes' and my love life, and loving being single to this... Relationship. Seriousness. Living in an apartment. From living with a group of friends, to living with my boyfriend and one flatmate. Times have changed. And time has definitely flown by super fast!

It feels like only yesterday that I was diagnosed with Baker's Lung. (It also feels like only yesterday I was saying goodbye to Mike.)

It is INSANE how much has changed in the past 3 years, nearly 3 and a half actually.

In a little over a month I'll be 26.... Where have my 20's gone?!

I'm definitely not the same girl I was when I graduated High school.
Not the same girl I was when I decided to pack up and move to the city, to start University.

Crazy to think it's already four and a half years and I have still not graduated yet.

Good things take time.
A lot of time.

Updates: of Health & Work or rather the lack thereof.

So I haven't been great at writing this year. I've been busy with things going on - Facebook group admin work on a number of groups (closed and open) they're all fun in their own ways. The topics that come up are entertaining and can be time consuming to solve. 

It's a great test of my patience (I test others patience too! I am sure) as well as for my problem solving

skills. Honestly it isn't all fluffy puppies and butterflies.

More after the jump.

Talking, walking and thoughts

Thank you to my friend for taking me for a walk today. The talk was much needed and very appreciated!
It's often the small things that mean a lot.  

My day started with a meeting (- oh the nerves! - meeting strangers) in a coffee shop to meet and discuss a neighbourhood meetup for the Wellington Host Lions. They set up a meeting, which is happening in a little over a week to get neighbours to meet up and help prepare in case of an emergency, or in case the "big one" hits *. The idea is to get to know our neighbours within our building, so we can help each other out. Even if it's like a Fire Drill - to know that the lady in 10B** has a small child is a good piece of information to have. That way - if we evacuate and see her without said child, we can respond appropriately. (IE By telling emergency services etc). Or if there's an elderly couple or someone with a disability...

Next up I guess would be setting up a Neighbourhood Watch/ Neighbourhood Support group within our building. We used to get newsletters of things happening - but we haven't had any in quite a while.
I wonder if I should / could write a new one, or if it is out of place for me to do so? I don't know who the Body Corp. of the building is for a start, and I don't want to step on their toes too much. Just hoping this initial meeting neighbours thing goes down well. At least I'll know who (from our building) is on board soon enough.

There are a lot of apartment buildings in Wellington's CBD I noticed today on my travels (both alone when I was going to and from the coffee shop, but also when walking with my friend)... a lot of new buildings being built too. I hope the market drops soon. If we want to buy an apartment it looks like we need to wait until the prices drop and they won't do that until some sell, or more are on the market!

It was crazy to think, today, that our apartment building with 60 apartments is considered "small" compared to most. I know it's only 5 stories worth, each with 12 apartments... but it's not that small, surely? SOHO just down the road has 350, it may be closer to 400. Insane! There's a new building going up that is rumoured to have close to 500 apartments. Each of those are also 1-2 bedrooms. (Which means 1-4 tenants... the same as we have here).

Dan is still away for another 8 days. Missing him lots. But can't do much about that.




NOTES:
* I live in the Capital city of New Zealand and we're right on top of a fault line, earthquakes are common here. Hence we're waiting for the 'big one'.
This of course has been the status quo for years, if it happens this year or next, who knows. Best to Be Prepared and have our things ready to Get Thru.
Get Ready & Get Thru
**10B is just an example, there is no 10B in our building.

Friday night music, parties, drinking, noise, peace, quiet

So it's Friday night, and I'm home alone for most of the evening. I don't mind. It's peaceful. I watch TV. I play some music. I'm drinking juice, and later green tea.
I've fallen - hard - for Peppermint & Lemon tea. It's freshening yet tangy.

The neighbours upstairs are a group of guys, they're playing music from around 4 in the afternoon. I swear at least one of them is home all day. Like me. I hear him walking around that's how I know.
Their music wafts through the floorboards above my head. It's hard to think.

It's much, much later now, after 10pm our flatmate is home - watching TV in his room. The guys above continue to (I assume) drink and party. Their music continues.

The flatmate goes to bed. I should be heading to bed too, but I stay up listening to the night noises. The hum of the fridge. The noises of people outside in the alleyway.

Even later, after midnight and the guys up stairs are now on their balcony, talking, laughing. They've been drinking and partying a while. You can tell by their topics of choice, their laughter wholehearted.

Tomorrow, well really later today, I have a big day planned so I should head off to sleep.

A little history lesson

So in 2005 this guy named Tom wrote a blog Here called Wellurban which he based a blog post on the location of my current apartment.

The address has changed slightly, we've officially moved "next door". It's not 140 or 144 but 142. Weirdly mail addressed as 140 or 142 gets through. I haven't tested to see if mail addressed as 144 gets to us.


A picture of old Liks now Ilbordello, which is again changing it's name again this year.

Chrissy was the woman who set up the place that was the loser to arson, now the location of my apartment building which ironically is filled with a rainbow assortment of people. Last year Dan and I flatted with a lesbian woman. This year, not such a rainbow flat.

Building rumours...  It's interesting to read back on what Tom and others thought a few years before the current building was actually built in 2009.

Room for Rent

So our flatmate is leaving us next year at the end of the tenancy, and we've started the new flatmate hunt...