Injustice

I’ve had an injustice committed against me.

I wrote an article for my paper that I was quite proud of. My article was uploaded to the New Zealand Herald, who then ran it on their website. BUT the article was attributed to a Herald reporter. The only thing that was changed about the article was the heading, everything other than that was my exact wording and everything.

And what makes this worse is that this particular article had 132 shares to Facebook. That would have been my name out there 132 times. For a budding reporter, that’s a big deal.

They did credit our newspaper at the very bottom of the article, but to anyone viewing it, it was written by this other reporter.

And that’s just not fair. She wasn’t the one who took the time to do the interview, meet the person in question and get a photo. She wasn’t the one who spent the time going through pages of notes to write the article up.

That was me.

I did mention it to my manager and editor, who said they’d look into it, but nothing came of it. And even if it was now rectified, it’s not like it would be shared 132 times again.

Not impressed!

It's now out in the open

So the other day at work it all came out.

The issue at work that I’ve mentioned on here came to boiling point and I broke down completely and utterly. In total I had four major cry episodes throughout the day. I haven’t cried that much in years. Safe to say, Tuesday wasn’t fun at all.

Good things that came from it:

-          Manager is now aware of how I feel

-          Others in the office backed me up

-          I’m not bottling it all up anymore

Bad things that came from it:

-          Person in question wasn’t sympathetic at all, didn’t seem to think anything was wrong

-          Lots of people saw me cry

So it remains to be seen whether anything changes or not.

Ugh. Life.

xx

Yo!

Okay okay sorry for not blogging in quite some time. I definitely want to keep the habit up, and will endeavour to do so, but I have just been lacking in motivation a bit. So I shall make this post a round-up of what’s been going on in my life since the last post!

Work – Post-trip depression has died down somewhat and work has been going fairly well. However, we had a meeting with the editor of our sister newspaper a couple of weeks back in which I felt extremely targeted and got quite upset (fighting back the tears). Since then, I’ve tried to make more effort, and haven’t had any complaints so hopefully things are going better. However, when talking with one of the other girls in the office about my issues, she said she also notices the mean way the editor talks to me and constantly criticizes me. So it’s not just in my head. Unfortunately, the editor is the managers’ darling so I don’t feel as though I can talk to her about it.

Gym – I have been really good since I’ve been back, going 5-6 times a week. It’s such a great release for me (especially when issues like the aforementioned are occurring).

Friends –Haven’t seen my Hastings besties for ageeeeeees which has been lame. Spending time with my friends here is always great. It’s good for the soul.

Music – For some reason lately I can’t get enough of Black and Yellow by Wiz Khalifa. It’s not a new tune but it’s just so good and it makes me dance. I also love everything by Miguel at the moment.

Movies – Recently I’ve watched Don Jon, The Wolf of Wall Street, and V for Vendetta. Would recommend the latter two. The first one is, well, interesting. I’ll leave it at that.

TV shows – Almost up to date with White Collar and have one more episode of Sherlock to go. Both are just so great. Suits and Game of Thrones are starting up again in not too long – YUSS. Also, I watched an episode of KUWTK a couple of days ago and was LOLing so much that I’ve now completed series one and two. Guilty pleasure.

Books – Finished Catch 22 finally! It only took me about 2 months haha. Actually thought it was a pretty good read once I was done with it. For the latter half of the book I was appreciating how funny and well written it was. Then read Animal Farm – so fantastic! Am now reading The Book Thief which is Ah-mazing so far. In the interim, I also spent the paperplus voucher I was given at Christmas and bought Gone Girl (soon to be a movie and I’d heard the book is great) and I Quit Sugar by Sarah Wilson which I finished the day I got it. Cutting out sugar is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time and having now read two books about sugar, it’s a main goal of mine.

Car – Argh. Discovered my car had a big oil leak which is going to cost far too much to get fixed. Going to take it for a second quote to see if it’s worth fixing. If not, new car time! Sad though, I liked this one L

Family – Haven’t seen them in quite some time and miss them all the time. Seeing my Dad and sister soon though as sister is moving to Palmy in two weekends! That will be cool. I was tasked with finding her a flat, which I did. I hope she likes it! (though I’m sure she will – it’s awesome). Can’t wait to see Dad as well. I’m taking the two of them out to my favourite Japanese restaurant when they’re down. Eeeeep!!

Garcon – Has been far too long since I’ve seen him. Texting has been good though, for the most part. Can’t wait to see him next. We have some stuff to figure out.

Time for a selfie? I think so...

Heh so attractive.

xx

Post-trip depression

So I’ve been back from Thailand for over a week now. It was pretty darn fantastic. Highlights included: elephant rides, cuddling tigers, full moon party for new years, great shopping, excellent food and the friendliest people I’ve ever come across. It was really a great experience and I want to go back already.

The downside is that now I’m back in Palmerston North at work. It’s so depressing. I legitimately believe I’m suffering from post-trip depression (if that’s not a thing, it totally should be). Everything is so boring, banal and mundane here.

I definitely need some spice added or I might just go crazy.

xx

Work life

So while in my last post I was all happy with life, it is of course not the case that all areas of life are amazing. 

I like my new job. It’s interesting, challenging and busier than my previous one. There’s just one thing that’s getting in the way of it being super awesome. And that’s a co-worker. From my very first day here she’s been the least friendly towards me and I feel like I’m constantly doing things wrong. Sure, she says hi and ‘have a good weekend’ and all that, but it’s always uneasy and forced when we talk. She’s just one of those people I can’t bond with, no matter how hard I try. And unfortunately she’s my direct superior and the one I work closest with. Even though my previous role here was boring, I was happier because I was around people that I could joke with and be myself around. And she’s the only one in the entire office that’s harder to get along with. I love everyone else, they’re great!

She constantly shoots down story ideas that I come up with and takes lots on herself rather than delegating to me, and then complains about being ‘soooo busy’. And she makes me feel like I’m really useless at what I do. She doesn’t critique my writing as much anymore (thank goodness) but there are all these other, subtle things that just make me feel crap. Like today after we went to print she told me I had to go and get a new photo for this one shop that advertises with us. I said to her that the client had told me to repeat the last photo then she was like “No, you need to get a new one. Take the initiative, that’s the one they always use.” Like how am I supposed to know, having never dealt with this client before, that they always use that photo? And if the client wants to repeat something, that’s what we do.  But it’s more just the way she talks to me. It’s not friendly at all, it’s harsh and patronizing and I feel like she hates my guts and would rather work alone.

You know how females do it, they make little snide remarks and comments that get under your skin and make you feel stink rather than confront you straight up. This situation is no different. She’ll laugh and joke with everyone else in the office, but never me. Though I guess the same goes for me, as I just can’t with her. It’s not a big, obvious thing, and no one else in the office probably notices anything. But it’s definitely there. And it sure cuts.

I hope and pray that things will get better. We’ve only been working together for a while, so still getting to know each other and stuff. But if not, I don’t know what I’m going to do :(

Lows and Highs

So we’re over halfway through the year. And my goodness it’s gone by quickly. It’s been a rollercoaster of sorts for me. There have been massive highs and massive lows.

In the low corner:

We have boys, income and weight. All the usual suspects.  The year got off to a slow start job-wise after finishing my degree in 2012. It was pretty tough there for a while without much income coming in, which meant I was eating into my savings a fair bit. I still had the job I’d entertained whilst studying, but the hours weren’t enough. Seeing my bank balance diminish was not fun, and it was getting to be a source of stress the longer it went on.

Unfortunately, over the last year I met a boy who I liked more than I’ve ever liked a boy before. Not going to lie, I had high hopes. These hopes were dashed. Not once, but three times. The boy who I thought was lovely and sweet turned out to be completely selfish and mean. Not to mention the most confusing person I’ve ever come across. I shed a few tears over this boy, which I know is completely stupid. And the worst part about it all is that I still hold him on a pedestal. Argh! Some of my lowest of the low moments were because of this boy. And that annoys me immeasurably. Fortunately said boy no longer resides in the same city as me.

Weight is a constant struggle of mine. It weighs (…cringe…) on my mind all the time and is where much of my self-esteem issues stem from. I know I’m not fat but my ideal body is very far from where I am at the moment. I know that weight is so unimportant in the scheme of things and doesn’t define who I am but it’s still something I seem to see as being very significant and thus I feel pretty stink about it at times.

In the high corner:

We have income and travel. After doing a bit of experience at the local paper, I was offered a 35 hour/week job. This has enabled me to build my savings again. It’s also been excellent in terms of getting articles published. This will help me build a portfolio and increase my job prospects in the future. There have also been some very exciting days on the job, which has resulted in being on the 6pm news and interviews with Stan Walker, Ruby Frost and Benny Tipene (household names here in NZ). Days like that make me so excited about my area of work.

A recent high is that I’m going to Thailand at the end of this year! I’ve wanted to travel for so long and am now finally getting to do it. South East Asia looks like such a fascinating place and it’s a massive  understatement to say that I'm excited. I'm going with a really good friend of mine and one of her mates and it is going to be just amazing. We are going to get lost in a different culture. I can't wait.

 
I think the last couple of years have been particularly formative for me, as what has been in my path has really solidified my beliefs, values and personality. Even the tough times teach you things about yourself, and how you'd approach a certain situation differently in future. And I'm incredibly blessed to have the most amazingly supportive friends and family. I can't even imagine life without them.
xx

Ka Pai

So I had my second day of work experience at the local community paper today. One of the things I did was accompany the editor to a photo op at a new community centre that is being built out in Highbury. It was next to the local marae and there were lots of people around doing various things for decoration of the building once it's completed. 

I have never met a group of people so friendly and hospitable.

When asking the guys doing the wood carving for their names (and correct spellings), one told me he liked my nails (I am currently sporting a leopard-print design courtesy of my friend who does nail art) and then picked up his carving tool and asked if I wanted a manicure. HAHA. He was a hard case that one. 

Though we had gotten what we came for, we were encouraged to stay for lunch and take part in the shared lunch that was being put on for the builders, carvers and weaving ladies. And what a spread it was. I lost count of the number of people who offered me a cup of tea and said 'help yourself to the sweeties, love' etc etc.

Then, the ladies who were inside doing weaving work wouldn't let me leave (even though the editor was ready to go oops haha) until I had completed one cross on the tapestry thingy they were making. They wanted me to be able to come back one day and say I helped out and point out the little bit I did.

Everyone was so friendly and welcoming, it was so nice. I love that about Maori culture, the emphasis on hospitality, community and being welcoming to anyone and everyone.

Ka Pai ;)

xx

The new resolutions

I know it's kinda cliched to write out resolutions these days but I don't really care, imma do it anyway:

1) Keep up an excellent exercise routine.
2) Get into good eating habits! 3 meals a day, lots of fruit and veges and less sugar :)
3) Find a good career-relevant job!
4) Read more!! Only read 6 books for leisure in 2012. Disgusting.
5) Keep up the blog.

That's all I can think of at the moment but five is a good number I think. 2012 was a roller-coaster year, but I definitely look back at it fondly, as there were many many great moments :)
I'm looking forward to the challenges that 2013 brings!!

xx

Current life haps

Hey there! Sorry for the delay between posts, I keep meaning to post but then don't get round to it...my bad. Here's what's up with me lately:

• Uni - getting pretty busy atm. 3 assignments due next week (gaaaaah). I'm sure lecturers get together in their staff room thingys and connive to put due dates all in the same week. evil. 
• Work - got heaps of hours over the study break which was excellent (ca-ching!). Next few shifts are doing nights which I much prefer, so cruisey!
• Flat - going ok at the moment. Things have calmed down somewhat (for now anyway). As always, love living with Jac who is my go-to/confidante/partner in crime/SB4lyf.
• Weekend - Nuts. Had 2 crazy Australians visiting the flatmate over the weekend. So the boys decided they would do a 3 day bender: going out Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Thursday night I sober drove them to town (5 big boys in my little hatchback (one in boot) = LOL), they got home 2:30am. Friday night they had another added to their number and hit a party then went to town. Awoke at 3am to moaning in the hallway followed by retching in the bathroom. Poor Graeme had a wee bit too much. Saturday night they were all over the place so Jac and I went to watch the rugby at Erik's and then hit town with him. Met the boys in town. Got home with the boys at 3:30am and went straight to sleep. Pretty sure a few boys slept  on the floor that night cause we didn't have enough couches/beds for everyone. Crazy but fun times. Also hung with the parents on Saturday during the day which was awesome. So lovely to see them again. We went out for lunch, I took them for a tour of my work and then we had a drink beside the fire at Brewer's Apprentice. So nice. Also got to see Jess and Ethan on Sunday which was also cool! Such a mean weekend filled with my favourite people :) :) :)
• Le Garcon - texts everyday, is coming over for a movie night on Friday (ta for advice Emma), is also coming to party in Hastings with me&jac&erik this weekend! excite! still incredibly attractive ;)
• Gym - really enjoying it lately. Body Attack tonight YAY (that is not laced with sarcasm btw).
• Music - getting into a bit of trance music lately, courtesy of le garcon. Armand van Buuren what up.
• Recent splurges - went clothes shopping with Jac yesterday, spent too much oops. Bought a khaki parka (have been wanting one for aaaaaaaaages so this purchase was justified I think), a top and some cute ankle boots. Also bought some new flats today. Soooooo balance has suffered a wee bit.

Here are some photos from Thursday night. Adam, Blair and Dan were gutted they weren't on my photo wall so made me take some  photos. However, they wouldn't stay still so the pics are all rather blurry. This is probably how they were seeing things though hehe...

Me & Adam - I was standing on the bed so I could be the same height as him. 

Me, Adam, Blair

Adam and Blair - he actually wasn't punching Blair in the face.

Adam, Blair and Dan. Silly boys wouldn't stop moving. LOL

good times though

xx

A to Z - a bit about me :)

Saw this post on honey and fizz today and thought it was pretty cool, so decided to do eeeeeet. As most of you who read this blog know me quite well, I'll try to share things that you may not know where I can. So even you, my lovely friends, may learn something about me today ;)

A. Age: 

19 (super close to the big 20 though :O)

B. Bed size: 

Queen, yet I generally only occupy a single bed's width, apart from the odd occasion where I wake to find myself completely diagonal and thus making use of the bed in its entirety.

C. Chore that you hate: 

Ummmmmmm...I don't hate any, as I like to live in cleanliness. But probs cleaning the toilet/shower. Esp if there's stray hair anywhere...

D. Dogs: 

Don't have one currently, but had an English Setter, Poppy, for a while when I was a kid.

E. Essential start to your day: 

Listening to music. Whether on the radio or ipod. Absolutely essential.

F. Favorite color: 

Blue.

G. Gold or Silver: 

Probs silver, though rustic gold is pretty cool

H. Height: 

5'6' (I think) - normal height

I. Instruments you play: 
Basic piano. REALLY want to learn guitar one day
J. Job title: 
Student. Massey University. 3rd (and final!!) year.
K. Kids: 
Two. Bill and Ben. JOKES. none! gosh.
L. Live: 
Currently, Palmerston North. But lived in Hastings for 17 years so that's my real home. Also live in Hamilton with the parents from time to time. So I've pretty much got 3 homes.
M. Mother’s name: 
Lynn
N. Nicknames: 
Daleo, Doodle, Dewy.
O. Overnight hospital stays: 
None! (apart from being born)
P. Pet peeves: 
People crunching on their nails, leaving dirty dishes on the bench, noisy eaters, drivers who don't indicate/go 80km on a 100km road. grr.
Q. Quote from a movie: 
"They're not raisins, they're humiliated grapes"...Benny & Joon (one of my fav movies of all time). Also the banter between Jules and Vincent in Pulp Fiction is pretty epic
R. Right or left handed: 
Right
S. Siblings: 
1 sister, 22yrs.
T. Time you wake up:
It varies, generally between 7-9am
U. Underwear:
Bonds are always a favourite
V. Vegetable you hate: 
I don't really hate any but potato would be a lesser enjoyed one.
W. What makes you run late: 
Straightening hair, makeup etc. I tend to muck around a lot in the mornings doing nothing!
X. X-Rays you’ve had: 
None
Y. Yummy food that you make: 
Lasagna, Tan slice, Enchiladas, Quiche. Food is gooooooood.
Z. Zoo animal:
The elephants due to their size, the ape's coz they're funnily human-like && the big cats - lion, tigers etc coz they're so majestic.


Just a few things about me. Also, hope you had a great weekend. Mine was pretty good, got to see the sister, the bestie and the grands which was nice. Worked epic amounts which was fun but tiring. But am now getting a cold :( this is not ideal. 
xx

A quickie ;)

Been very busy lately. Here is the lowdown: palmy, wedding, party, day of rest (hallelujah), meanest game of Risk ever, epic work week, 3am wakeup for a 5am start, rugby, mingling with All Blacks (!!), sober d, crash after being awake for 25 hours straight, tennis, thai nomnom, massive cleanup, last day of work YUSS. Heading to Palmy tomorrow. Excited!
Whilst perusing a favourite blog tonight I came across this awesome underwater dog photography by Seth Casteel and because the pics are hilarious and I love dogs, just had to post it :)

Hehehe these pics made me laugh out loud
xx

Happy Days + Crazy Nights

Sorry for the long delay between posts! I'm so much better when I'm at uni and get into my regular routine, so bear with me! Life highlights since my last post include: A 7.5 hour Downton Abbey marathon (with the bestie and some lovely nosh), another great night with friends which involved new card games, playing on the playground at the park, excessive rhyming and a 2am visit to McDs, slushies with the sister, night-time tennis and work (which has been surprisingly bearable lately). Looking forward to a busy weekend coming up too, I'm working at a Hall & Oates featuring Icehouse concert at Church Road Winery which should be fun!

Some things I've been appreciating recently...

These stairs Jo and I discovered - so cool! And culminating in Charlie Chaplin, even cooler.

 (Charlie's art deco Restaurant in Napier)

Coldplay's superb newest single Charlie Brown

(hmmm what is it with Charlie's lately)

This little doggie, Kobe, my work friend :)

Peace out homies

xx

The lowdown

After a week filled with awesomeness (last Saturday night, going to the movies, and 2 other movie dates, gym sessions, great work last night and mean car chats with Harriet etc etc) and some lows (working 6 days, having my car number plates stolen), I am finally blogging again. Yay!

Something that has made me really happy lately is that I feel as though I've found my social 'niche' - a group of people I love hanging out with and honestly crave spending time with. Every time is a good time with this group. Having such an awesome group of mates is such a blessing, and I'm gonna be really sad to leave when I head back to uni :(

Anyways, today is my only day off so Ima make it great! Had a sleep in this morning (didn't get to bed until 1am after a 14hr shift and only had 3 hours sleep Thursday so this was much needed), am hanging with one bestie in the arvo and meeting both of them for dinner in Napier tonight! I shall take my camera :)

Oh, and I might play tennis this arvo too :)
This is how I feel when I play tennis...........

Happy. I love Tennis :)

Have a fab day readers!!

xx

On my mind

Friends - a cycle? new ones drift in and old ones drift out? I'm beginning to believe this.
Work - pretty much living there atm, but enjoying it more lately, and one friend knows why ;) Love making new friends here too.
Excitement - Thursday night...........eeeep! and seeing twinnies again! and being invited to a wedding!
Family - can't wait to see you over xmas!!
Xmas - eek, too soon!
Exercise - wish I had time to do more!

Watched Chalet Girl last night, was pretty cute! But saw this trailer, and must must must watch it with dear emma when it comes out:

Johnny Depp = simply amazing.

xx

Book therapy

Don't you just love the deliciousness of sitting down in the sun, with a cold drink and a good book? This is one of my favourite things to do, and I could spend hours doing it (though would turn bright red if I did). It's a great way to de-stress. I went to the annual Lions Book Sale in Hastings last weekend and got ten books, so I have plenty of reading material for summer. I manage to pick up some great bargains at the sale every year, and this year was no exception. I got three which are bestsellers worth about $25 each from a book store, as well as others from favourite authors. Here's what I picked up:

Am currently reading the one at the top - Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones. Pretty good so far! And of course, I couldn't resist buying the latest issue of Frankie when I was in town, and as per usual, it is a glorious issue.

Also, while I was catching up on my favourite blogs I discovered I won a giveaway! Totally made my day! It was from this blog which is aaaaaaaamazing, and by a fellow New Zealander :) See what I won here. Very exciting as I'm relatively new to the blogosphere and haven't ever won anything from a blog before! Choice!

p.s. apologies for not blogging for some time. I've been working insane hours lately and haven't had much time, but I will try to improve :)

Literature Love

Am loving being back in Hawke's Bay so far. Had a super weekend and a great start to the week thus far. My days have been as follows:
Friday - pack up, drive home, catch up with GPs, dinner, movie with sister (Paranormal Activity 2), bed
Saturday - gym with my buddy again (yay!), another movie with sister (All Good Things), shoe shopping, amazing turkish dinner with the bestie, movie in napier with the bestie's bf and friends (The Inbetweeners), bed
Sunday - sleeeeeeep in, reading of book, cooking of dinner, eating of dinner, watching of movie (The Ghost writer), chat to father, bed.

And today I started work which went well. Felt like I'd never left. And it made me happy that the dog at work remembered me. And that I remember how to make coffee's after not doing it for so long :)

But ohemgee these holidays i am soooooooo looking forward to delving into reading for leisure, somthing I haven't been able to do much of this year. I think I've read maybe 10 leisure books this year?! Hardly any. Especially considering I used to easily read a hundred. Im not this big book nerd though, don't get me wrong, but I love to curl up and read. This summer I am aiming to read at least another 10, and want to finally read Catch 22. What makes it even more exciting is that this coming weekend is the annual Lion's book sale which is one of the highlights of my year! It's this hugely popular second hand book sale that I attend every year and come away with some stunning finds. Dad is coming down for the weekend so will be coming with me and I cannot wait!

p.s. I have never read anything by Kurt Vonnegut who features in the above pic, I just like the pic!

Hope you are all having a great week :)
xx

Back to basics

So I've noticed that I haven't done any diary-type posts as of late which is unusual for me, and I know that some people (well one at least) like to read this blog so they know what I'm up to. So today I shall revert back to that type of post :)

This week has been really crazy. I have been in at work three times this week, as well as attending all my classes and having three assignments on the go simultaneously. I also had my first experience of court, as for my linguistics paper we had to sit in on a trial in order to analyse courtroom discourse (breathe out now, it wasn't me that was in court. tehehe you all know I'm a complete angel...). That was an experience. The Palmerston North court is faaaancy, and you have to go through metal detectors and such as soon as you get in the door. I made an idiot of myself by forgetting to go back and get my keys from the tray after I went through the detector. Eejit. Aaaaaannnnnnnnd I still managed to set the frikn thing off both times I went through. Oh gawsh. haha. We sat in a jury trial, and the three of us were the only audience members, so this lawyer dude came and asked us if we were just observing and when we said yes he told us that it was a sexual abuse case. So we were like 'uh oh'. That kinda freaked me out, as I didn't really want to hear any graphic detail. But it turned out that the questioning of the accused wasn't graphic at all. Phewf. Court is very interesting, the power dynamics that go on and all that. I enjoyed it even though it was a very grim case.

Other than that, the week has been full of assignments, classes and work. Looking forward to a rugby-filled weekend and the arrival of a best friend tonight :) YAY.

Oh, I managed to go to the Argentina vs Georgia game in Palmy last Sunday which was beyond awesome. The game itself was pretty meh but the atmosphere was electric, and there were sooo many dashing Argentinians in the crowd. I'm pleased to be able to say 'I was there' at RWC 2011 and took part! Even though it was a minor game. It's sad now to not see the team buses as you go down the main street.

So yea, that's me. Busy bee atm.
Oooooooooooh I found these really cool 'McFancy' photos on another recently discovered blog - Eat Drink Chic. I thought they were mc-nificent!! Lawl, please excuse my lame humour :)

Darn. Now I feel like Maccas.

xx

Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug

Had a freakin' busy day today, 7am-7pm non stop. Went to the gym in the morning, then class, then had work which went overtime and was so busy all day, like on the go with no breaks. not even kidding. It's good to get hours in weeks when I have downtime though, in between assignments, thus allowing me to work without freaking out :)
One of my best friends/flattie and I had a crazy time last night rewriting 'Like a Boss' by The Lonely Island, with a uni student theme. It had us cracking up for a looooooooong time. I love times like that, when you just chill without any worries and do something totally silly. Wish times like these came more often.

The title of this post is a quote by Mark Knopfler, and brings me to the theme of this post...awesome quotes. So I am sharing some of my favourites with you today. They make me happy :)

 I wasn't kissing her, I was just whispering in her mouth

 - Chico Marx 

Fathers be good to your daughters, daughters wil love like you do. Girls become lovers, who turn into mothers, so mothers be good to your daughters too

 – John Mayer

If we weren't all crazy we would go insane

 - Jimmy Buffet

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm ... As you grow older you will discover that you have two hands. One for helping yourself, the other for helping others

 – Audrey Hepburn

For the grace of god that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say 'no' to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled and upright lives, while we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and saviour, Jesus Christ who gave himself for us, to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good 

- Titus 2:11-14

enjoy xx

Work

Feeling a tad uninspired today. Thinking it might be the grey, howling, damp, depressing weather. Today was an intense uni day, followed by a gym session. Because I haven't really got a plan for this post, I thought I'd share some pictures of where I work - Caccia Birch House. It's a huge old homestead in Palmerston North that is currently used for events like weddings and conferences. It's absolutely beautiful.

Apologies for the different sized shots, my computer won't let me get the large ones. Hopefully you can see how beautiful it is anyway :)

xx