Auckland Bridge Bungy

One week ago, on the 15th of April, it was my little brother's 21st birthday. I shouted him a bungy jump off the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

It was a really awesome day and heaps of fun. I went as a spectator (I'm not brave enough to jump myself) and we arrived at the bungy building at our check in time of 11.30am. After everyone (there were 9 jumpers and about 5 spectators) was harnessed up we had to walk out under the bridge and up to the bungy pod that is clipped on under the bridge.

The walk out was hilarious - my brother kept swearing and telling me how much he hated me. He looked very pale and sick. He was not amused when he realised how high up we had to go.

Things got worse when we reached the pod. It rocked a little in the wind, which did nothing to calm my brother’s nerves. After watching a few of the others do their jumps it was his turn to experience the 40 metre drop. He was given strict instructions to put his hands out before his head and to keep his chin tucked right into his chest. The operators knew it was his 21st and told him he was going to get dunked. So, my brother was anticipating getting wet - but not going into the water right up to his shoes! When he was hoisted back up after his jump he was soaked from head to toe, but he was ecstatic. The grin on his face was priceless.

After everyone had their jumps we headed back to the bungy building where he got a complimentary t-shirt and we purchased a photo / DVD package of the jump. He then drove home in his new t-shirt and his undies (his jeans were soaked).

My brother had a really awesome experience (and I did too) and I would recommend this type of thing as a gift idea. Usually I just get my brother vouchers for somewhere, but this is definitely a present he will remember.

If you want more information check out the Auckland bungy site.

PostSecret

Something I mean to do more often, but I always forget, is to go check the PostSecret website.

I discovered 'PostSecret' one day when I was in Borders, the bookstore. I flicked through a couple of the PostSecret books then I had to leave. However, I went back the next week and purchased one of them. I kept going back and now I have all four books. They're very addictive.

I remember when I had bought one of them and was coming home in the car. Chris, my boyfriends brother was in the backseat. He looked at the cover and told me that only gossips and people who like Desperate Housewives would like the books. To my amusement he then read the book from cover to cover and shared most of the secrets with the rest of us in the car. He had been sucked in just like me :)

So, the whole reason I started to write this post is because for some unknown reason I actually did just visit the PostSecret site and the top post on it announced that a new book is going to be released. I can't wait to add it to my collection.

If you have never seen one of the books take a look at this clip from YouTube - it is full of many of the postcards that appear in the books.



I took my books into school last year and the kids loved them too. When some of the boys in my class would come in for English they would come straight over to my desk and grab a book each to read for a couple of minutes before I would tell them off to get them started on their work for the lesson. I played my Year 10's the All American Rejects Dirty Little Secret video at the end of class one day and gave them the option of creating a post card for home work that we could send in.



The whole PostSecret thing is not just about a series of books though. It started as an art project when Frank Warren invited people to send him post cards sharing their personal secrets back in 2004. The post cards still flood in today and Frank picks some to regulary update his blogsite with.

Anyways if you want to know more about the PostSecret phenomenon I suggest you scope out PostSecret.com and the PostSecret Community site. Check it out, I'm sure you will become engrossed in the whole thing too. Some of the secrets are shocking, some are sad, others will make you laugh, while some of them you will find yourself thinking "hey me too!" when you read them.

P.S. A little secret about my blog - I haven't told any of my friends about it because I'm worried they'll laugh at it :)

Absorbed with Art

I'm really pleased with a purchase I made of an Annie Smits Sandano print. I got one of her Kura Paru Circles prints. I'm so excited at the prospect of getting it framed and up on a wall when I get around to buying a house. Yes, you can mock me all you like - buying things with nowhere to put them. Just think though, when I do get a house, it will be rather empty and will seem like an art gallery - perfect!

I also have a print I got in Rarotonga at the start of the year of a Cook Island dancer and I have two massive posters waiting to be framed. One of my posters is of Kylie Minogue and the other is a film poster for Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet - I want to get these put in antique looking white frames.

So what next? Ahhh... there are so many art pieces I want. Most of them are work by New Zealanders. I really want a Melvin Day painting that depicts mountains and water. Everyday when I drive home late from work the late afternoon sun is on the hills on the other side of the harbour and I am reminded of his paintings.

I would really like a Mickey to Tiki print (but there are so many copies that I think they are getting a bit tacky now). Ohhh and how I want one of the Dick Frizzell cushions that you can now get as part of the Esther Diamond range for Eon.

I really like stuff by Neil Fraser. I saw the painting Deep Freeze in a travelling art gallery that came to school (it was a truck that folded out). The effect of texture in this paining is awesome. The picture below is of one of his paintings called Evidence. These paintings are huge, so they have such strong presence. I think they are just beautiful.

Other artists I think are worth a mention include Tony Ogle and Fiona Whyte. I love the bright colours they use and that they depict everyday New Zealand. Gordon Walters is another artist I like. His prints are very interesting because of the optical allusions they create. Everytime i see the start of a New Zealand film, the logo of the NZ film commission reminds me of his prints. I love the work of Dean Buchanan too. His paintings are so instantly recognisable as done by him, which is what i like about them. The picture below right is of a painting he currently has for sale named Taranaki Morning.

For some art that is not New Zealand, and a little different, I think Warwick Orme's Floranova photography is amazing. And for art that some people might not even call art, I also think butterflies in acrylic cases are very cute :) - check out Butterfly Utopia to see what I'm on about.

Ladyhawke

Right. I'm really loving Ladyhawke. Being a good fan I went and purchased the CD. However, I keep loosing it. The second day I got it I lost it and it was AWOL for a week. It is missing again at the moment and it is now about week three since I noticed it had done a Houdini again. I never ever loose my CD's like this, so it is all a bit of a mystery. I will have a big hunt for it this weekend. Untill then I will get my fix from videos on the net.

Ohhhh.... if you think she is awesome like I do, check out the blog section of the official Ladyhawke site as there is a video of her playing an acoustic version of 'My Delerium'. There is also a space invader type game you can play where you fly around and shoot kitty cats (it's quite fun and not as awful as it sounds).