Map My Walk App

On Saturday night my sister and I will be walking our first ever half marathon. We're doing it for the cancer research foundation and in the name of our aunt who passed away earlier in the year. 

I haven't had much time or motivation to train for the event so have to say I'm probably going to suffer BUT nevertheless. I will do my best to finish in a reasonable, if slow time.

I loaded this app on my phone months ago when we decided to do the walk but only recently ( like yesterday) figured out how to use it. Great Idea!!! it's a bit of a drain on the old battery and data package but it's so good to have an accurate measure of how far and fast you're walking. If I were doing the training for weight loss or management it can also record all of those details. I'm keeping it simple and just recording the walk and how fast I complete it. Once you figure it out its super easy and given that it's a free app I'd say it's a vital tool in any training program. There are also versions for runners and cyclists. The internet is an amazing thing people! 

Now it looks like the rain is holding off so I will try and do another walk today. Yesterday was only 7.4k and it was in 1.08 hours. SLOW. ARGH I hope they keep the course open long enough for me to finish the event! LOL

x

EDIT: well it doesn't really work on cloudy days apparently. I couldn't get GPS up and going today so couldn't log my walk. *sad face* LOL 

Christmas is coming to The Big Little City :)

I love this video!!!

It shows off my fab city as the Christmas decorations go up. I know it's a little early for Christmas ... I try not to even think about it until my friend Sheri has had her birthday on Dec 8 Buuuuut it came through on my Facebook feed this morning so I had to share.

:)

The beginning and the end

I took this photo on Thursday. I took the same photo 10 months ago on my first day of university! Thursday was my LAST DAY and it's so fun to think back on who I was then and who I am now. I've learned so much about myself and also, of course about how to be the best teacher that I can be. I wont miss the university even a little bit but I am grateful for the chances that it will hopefully afford me.  I took this snap as I was walking out of the campus for the last time on my way to my mothers beach house for a weekend in the sun that I was completely desperate for :P

I met this guy while I was hanging out on the beach. He would waddle around and just stand about a meter away from me and just stare at me. He never approached me or tried to steal my food or anything... just staring! hahaha I think he's my spirit animal or my new best friend or something. I decided to call him Gary. 

I had a fantastic weekend with my mother. She let me have my fave meal 

(salad + sausages + boiled potatoes) each night and I just relaxed, read three books and applied for teaching roles. It was insanely relaxing. We went Pipi hunting and I managed to have my first swim of the season. A perfect weekend and now the future awaits!

x

Being authentic

Someone told me recently that she hoped I would keep asking questions and try to be as authentic to who I am as possible. It's such a great thought and it's really not as easy as it sounds! 

It's something I'm pondering a lot and I know that over the summer it will likely be a LOT clearer 

From Polly Gillespies fb page. Love that lady :)

x

2013 Parnell rose festival

My friend Sheri and I walked to the Parnell Rose Festival yesterday. It was about a 12k round trip which was good training for the half marathon I'm walking with my sister in a couple of weeks. It was super hot but absolutely worth the walk. The festival was busy enough to feel like a successful event but organised well and spread out well so you didn't feel caged in. I cant say enough good things! from the go carts and juggling pins for the kids to the whole 'compostable straw' culture of the event it was AWESOME. I cant believe I've never been before. I shall certainly return!

10/10

These ones are the randoms :) Some of my faves from the jewelry sale that I went to a couple of weeks ago. Love the dog broaches and the rings with 'emeralds'. Take note future husband... I like old things with a story!

This weekend I walked through the marina for the first time and I just thought that the boats in their dry dock getting ready for summer looked pretty cool.

These ones are from the Parnell rose gardens. I LOVE the views down to the port which happens to be one of my fave parts of the whole city. Not sure why but I really love the whole idea of it :)

The fairy queen looks a little dodgy for some reason...

It was just so beautiful to be among the lovely flowers. It was calm and orderly and the air smelt beautiful! 

x

FREEDOM

Yesterday I finished my last practicum. I raced out of that classroom at 3pm and didn't look back! It's been 5 very long weeks. I have learned my butt off to be honest which I guess is as it's supposed to be. It's been a non stop barrage of information and new ways of doing things. 

Now I just have a lecture to attend and a 12 minute presentation to give at university and I'm done!  My time is up and for the first time in my life I will be qualified to actually do something. Woooooo

Honestly today, on my first day off I just don't care. It's not exciting to me at all. This year has been really sucky and I feel like my brain has simply switched off. As I sit here on my couch tonight its almost like it never happened. 

Right now I am happily anticipating a summer of temp work at the hospital. Days spent ward clerking and nights just having a life. I am so excited to spend my weekends on the sand and not have to worry about every cent. I'm looking forward to paying down my credit card a little bit .... seeing movies ... 

I think this is going to be a great summer and maybe after I've had some rest and the scary bags under my eyes are gone, after I have earned some money and gotten some space and the sour taste of university out of my mouth I'll start to get excited at the prospect of being a primary school teacher.. 

We shall see

x

Art in the dark

-from their facebook page

Last night my friend Sheri and I went to this event in Ponsonby. I was really excited as I love anything glowy and shiny :) We are so lucky in Auckland that we regularly have such events happening in our city. They're often free as this was and so all we have to do is turn up and enjoy. This event was like the Matariki event Sheri and I went to in Glen innes earlier in the year but ... on drugs! 

The art was REALLY cool. The concept was REALLY cool AND it was FREE so what's not to like right? Well sadly we both came away feeling like there where some major problems... only some of which were in control of the organisers.  The biggest problem was actually the other people. It was amazing how rude and self involved the crowd was. It was PACKED OUT and nobody seemed to be taking this into consideration. Nobody was paying attention to the fact there were other people behind them wanting to 1 move and 2 look at the art. People were pushing and stopping in the middle of the tracks. Just really disappointing Auckland.

The weather ( also out of the organisers control obviously) meant that it was super slippery in the park. The whole thing is on the side of a hill pretty much so I felt like I was always a few seconds from falling down the hill and breaking my leg. It makes it hard to enjoy the sights around you. This brings me to the things which were under the organisers control....

The park is not the right venue for this. It's simply dangerous to walk around in the dark. There are the slipping in the mud issues but then there are also hard to follow paths and broken paths and tree roots sprouting everywhere. I bet the St John people had more than a few injuries to deal with. The art wasn't set out in any sort of logical fashion. You really needed to be able to look up while walking around or you would miss some pretty awesome stuff. I think if they had a slightly bigger park that was flatter and easier to negotiate in the dark then  a lot of the crowd control issues would have dissolved. 

So frustrating issues aside that made us just want to leave here are some pics of the awesomeness!!!

x

"To Monica from Walter. March 20th 1917"

Every year the ASB stadium in Auckland is host to one of the best book fairs around. It's a 24 hour event and this is the line to get in 10 minutes before it opened...

It improves my faith in mankind somewhat to see that a book fair can attract a line, three abreast from the door to the road :)

This year I'm a student so I have no money. I usually go in several times over the 24 hours and spend about 50 bucks. This year I went once and spent $2.00. Well not even that. I didn't have the cash so rather than breaking out the eftpos card for that amount my friend gave me the $1.20 I was short! LOL.

What I got just makes me so happy. I LOVE that I own it. It's a 1907 edition of 'Sense and sensibility' 

It even has the "onion paper" or whatever that transparent paper at the front is called!

The thing that really makes me smile about this book is that it has a dedication in the front from Walter to Monica on 20th March 1917!!! It's so cool to wonder who they were. Was it a brother buying something for his sister or perhaps this was a very sweet romantic gift? ... I mean I don't know about anybody else but I'd call this a very romantical type of gift. Where did Monica and Walter live and how do I have their book now??  I just love things that have a history. These little things just make a great book so much more exciting :)  

So, side note for anybody who might ask me to marry them in the future... try a ring from an antique shop or a junk shop in a random place rather than Michael Hill! LOLOL 

x