Hello sweetheart.

I am back and today I decided to draw you something big and beautiful so I gave you the moon. He's a wonderfully happy and peaceful moon, just taking in the happenings going on in the planet down below. Sometimes I would like to be the moon. I would like to nestle into my blanket of darkness and lazily open my eyes to address any asteroids or bits of space junk that float by. It must kind of feel like being in the womb. So quiet. Perhaps you could come be a moon with me. We could be like twins and circle our planet together. We would probably have to learn sign language or bring paper and a pen so that we could speak to one another every so often. That is, if you want to.

.

Hello my lovelies.
Today I drew a banana. I am not sure why but it looks pretty happy.
Soon, very soon, I will be sitting exams. In two weeks in fact. So I probably won't post again until after them.

Have a wonderful two weeks!

Last night

I decided that i was a bit bored of having a grown up life. I thought:

-well it's not like I want to be a teenager or a child again. That would be terrible. No, I'm very glad to have made it into my twenties. Maybe it would be better being another animal.

So i went to my bedroom, found a cardboard box, and fashioned a transmogrifier out of it ( in a tribute to Calvin and Hobbes). I put 3 different settings on it. Tonight I tried out the first setting and found it to be quite fun. So far I have lounged on the couch in front of the tv and lapped up milk from a bowl. I plan to end my evening by sitting up on the fence outside serenading the neighbours with miaos until heavy objects are hurtled my way. How fabulous!

Blobfish are cool

Lizzie

Yes! Present! For me!

The other day I got a package from Elizabeth and oh, what a package! The package was a box stitched inside a cotton outer. Inside were many treasures. Like some socks, both of the two pairs being for me (not for me and Albie to share). Two lovely pairs of earrings. A nice warm hat. A polka dot cloth/scarf/whatever you want it to be. A note from Elizabeth. It was so nice to get a present. I find that when you stop sending correspondence to others that you get none in return. I don't really deserve any present. I missed my mum's birthday and father's day - but will still get there one day soon. Thankfully life is not always fair and therefore I always get the good stuff...Cue evil laughter.

Oh thank you Elizabeth, you truly are marvelous.

Here are some photos courtesy of my web camera hence the bad quality.....

Fawny's school photo

Remember that time when you were little and went to school in your nicest wee dress on school photo day. Then you line up with your class and wait for your turn for 20 seconds of glamour time, the result being an awesome 90's photo with a totally radical smeary pastel background. If you were lucky you had brothers or sisters and got a second round with a charming family team shot. Well, that's what happens at Fawny's school except Deer school is way more classy - they have a backdrop of a neutral beige. I think mother doe is gonna be mighty pleased (and proud) of Fawny's portrait below. Them's some good genes.

Miao magic

So, so, this is the scoop: Alex and I are audio-book fiends, largely listening to children's books. Recently we have gotten into Harry Potter read by Stephen Fry (isn't Stephen Fry just so fantastic? Elizabeth wholeheartedly agrees, she's best friends with him. Ok, not quite but she has seen him in real life). The books are sooooooooo good! Like so good. Stephen Fry does all the voices and it is highly entertaining. Alex, who is pretty much a Harry Potter virgin, loves it (well, I think). Last night he helped me with microbiology study and started saying the bacteria like he was saying one of those stupid spells. For example "Treponema pallidum!" which is responsible for Syphilis. What a charmer eh?

Secretly I have gotten kind of, well, obsessed with Harry Potter too. I listen to the audio-books all the time. It's like a terrible disease. In fact, I am listening to a chapter now. Please don't judge me...

Yesterday was my mum's birthday. I haven't given her a present yet (worst daughter ever) but the wee picture below is of my mum and me if we were cats and witches (I told you that I was obsessed). Aren't we cute? Happy birthday mum! hooray!

Ye ol' freaky eyes

Yip, she sure does have freaky eyes.

<3

This is a drawing of a girl I saw yesterday. She was so cute and was wearing wee tan bootlets with tassels on them. What a star.

Today Alex and I watched Monsters, Inc. because Alex had never seen it before. I cried. I always do. I think I have problems.

Merkitty's picnic

Well, today I went for a wee walk in the rain through the forest AND you'll never guess who I saw (ok, you probably will as the name's in the title)! MERKITTY! Guess she was out and about because it was rainy and shit. She even had a cupcake. What I can't believe is that she didn't even invite me! :O Perhaps, though, it was because she only had one cupcake and didn't want to share. Now, listen closely children...sharing is good. Don't take a leaf out of Merkitty's book and be a scrooge, everybody enjoys a little cupcake.

In Gianna news: the academic year is nearing to an end. In the week that just passed I was quite busy trying to study and making Albie be a mock patient for me as I had tests yesterday. Next week I start my final run which is ortho... oooOOOOOOoooooOOOOOOooooo. I am also progressing on my elective. I am planning to do 3 weeks in Samoa after Cambodia and then do 2 weeks in the hospice here. It's all rather exciting.
Today I went to town and bought presents. I also bought some shampoo which may not seem like a big deal BUT I no longer have disgusting greasy hair! Hooray for hygiene!

In Albie news: he has been making all sorts of pedals and music electronics. He is also playing loud guitar music in our bedroom which is doubling as a laundry. Soon he will go watch rugby! Yip, that's right RUGBY! What a boy's boy. Blergh ...I'm not the biggest rugby fan. In fact I consider it as some sort of strange and unusual punishment. So that's why I'm staying here! Gonna watch me some movies...and maybe, just maybe, learn me some microbiology/antibiotics.

Hope your awesome lives are treating you well and that they are filled with excitement and cookies.

Mr Charles Cuddles goes to the beach

So I have had a week off school and have not really done much. I have done some study, played some waka waka on facebook and watched some movies. Yesterday I watched Twilight for the first time. It was quite like I expected although more enjoyable. It seemed to take itself way too seriously for a tween-pop movie but I did enjoy the vampire parts where they ran really fast and climbed trees, played super vampire baseball and stopped cars with their super human strength. Those bits were pretty funny/cringe yet somehow awesome.

So yeah that was my last holiday before exams, big scary medical exams -waaaaaaaah! But oh well, I had quite a good time doing nothing. Then the next time I have a holiday, granted that I pass, is going to be so so awesome what with 2 weeks off and then going to my elective in CAMBODIA. You should come too because it's going to be a wonderful time!

Now here is a picture of Mr Charles Cuddles going to the beach. I hope that the weather is beautiful for him and that he manages to get a chocolate dipped ice-cream from the ice-cream vendor's cart. I bet that while he lies down on his towel, probably to enjoy a good novel, many a lady cat will check him out. He's such a beau. Just remember to be sun smart Mr Cuddles!

Lies!

I've been very tricky lately and telling lots of lies. Who knew it could be so much fun? We all know that this is going to end badly, kind of like on an afternoon sitcom. Hopefully when it all goes pear shaped Uncle Jesse will give me an inspiration talk about how lies are not funny but actually can hurt people's feelings. I will agree and then we will hug and I will say my terribly adorable catch-phrase when he asks me not to lie again: "you've got it dude" (somehow this has turned into a scenario where I am Michelle off full house. Hmmm...I guess compulsive lying seems like something Michelle would do, I bet to get ahead in the class presidential elections. That naughty girl!).

Anyhow... today, after breakfast with Albie, I went fishing at Taieri mouth. I caught 12 big trout! 12! What a champ, aye? Albie caught one measly little one and we had to throw it back because it was so weeny and pathetic. I also caught up with Captain Seadog, a childhood friend, who took me out for a spin in his dinghy. I also asked for some of his treasure but he wouldn't give any to me. I think it was probably fair enough, he did give me an awesome boat ride.



















Let's just hope I don't get myself into a boy who cried wolf situation...

I'll keep you updated on how it all turns out. Prepare for tears.

Toast

Sometimes the simple things are so the best. Toast is such a good example. Toast with tea = NOM NOM NOM. You don't always realise how fantastic toast is until you go to get some bread out of the fridge to make breakfast and it's all gone. On such occassions (usually when you've run out of cereal as well) you compensate by having a nutella tortilla. A nutella tortilla may sound delicious but it is in reality very disappointing. So you sit at your table, sulking, as you dip your pathetically thin tortilla into you tea and dream of toast...























Despite all this talk of toast today I went out with the albie and had coffee and muesli. Muesli with greek yoghurt and baked tamarillos. Oh god, aren't tamarillos the best??? Albie did have eggs, tomatoes and toast which was also so delicious. Sometimes I am really naughty and I know I should be frugal with my money but arggggghhhhhhhh! I just love cafe coffee so much and in Wellington there's a few places that just have coffee that warms both your throat and your trampled spirit.

So if you ever see me perched over the gutter, holding a sign kind of like the ones in this link (for some reason I really like the Lindsay Lohan one, poor traumatised man) go get me a coffee and some toast stat! I will be eternally thankful.

Lunch time.

Ooooo nom, nom, nom. Look at the masterpieces that I created for our lunch. They have blobs of Tabbouleh for eyes. I truly am a genius (there is a just a small whiff of sarcasm in this statement).
I love oven baked chips at the moment. I put salt and pepper and squeeze lemon juice all over them and they taste like heaven. Maybe next time that you visit I will cook some up in the oven and you can have a smiley face plate too. If you need more chips than are pictured I will be willing to create a bearded smiley face plate. Bet you want to visit now!...Well I would...

A BEARD OF CHIPS! DELICIOUS!

Last night

I had this dream.

It was a horrible dream where there were assassins out to kill my family at our holiday house. My family, however, did not realise how grave the situation was and thought that they could stay at the house. I, of course, knew that we had to leave.
So I finally convinced my family that we must make our escape - after they had packed their bags and my mum had made sandwiches (despite my urging that time was of the essence). We couldn't drive as I knew that they were lying in wait for the perfect time to attack. Therefore we had to do a commando crawl across the paddocks in all directions towards the river.
Upon reaching the river, a cousin (who does not exist in real life, but was kind of like that guy, Cody, who lived in the van in the sitcom Step by Step) decided it was a good place to pitch a tent. I thought that this was very foolish and would totally blow our cover, so left. I then went running down the road in order to find other misplaced members of my family (I have a big family).
While running down the road, I was approached by a fox. A beautiful red fox. The fox warned me that one of the assassins were coming and then bit me. So I jumped back into a paddock filled with mushrooms that was situated just beside the road.
Then the assassin approached (and funnily enough he was Kevin Corrigan). I lay spread eagle in the field, hoping that I wouldn't move as he scanned the area - presumably for people to kill.

And that was the end of my dream...
My favourite part was the fox. Despite the fact that it bit me, I thought that it was pretty darn nice for talking in human tongue and warning me.

Now I think that this whole dream was precipitated by the fact that I read all about Charles Manson on Friday night. There was a documentary on tv but I couldn't be bothered watching it so I thought wiki would give me all the answers I needed. Unfortunately wiki gave me too many answers and left me moderately disturbed. I just don't understand how people can go into houses and just kill people, let alone a woman who is eight and a half months pregnant. It seems far to horrible to be true.

Sometimes I think that the world is a pretty mean place, a lot more mean than my nightmare. In real life you don't have foxes to warn you of the perils that await.

Nom nom nom

Today I got a cushion (remember Popup is my kryptonite).
LOOK AT IT!!!!!


















Now if you are thinking: O.M.G. Gianna! Why do you only ever show material possessions? Are you all mega consumer giant?? I would like to defend myself (you can tell I am feeling guilty about my frivolous spending, can't you?)....

Example one:

http://buttersafe.com/2009/06/04/watching-your-stuff-burn/

Example two:

http://buttersafe.com/2009/07/09/dracula/ *

*Nothing to do with the topic but I find this particular comic so cute, what with the guy's puncture marks. Awww bitey!

Example three:

I don't have many friends in Wellington...Except for a few, including this wee main buddy...























And I miss all my awesome other friends who have vanished away to other far away lands...

Including this lovely lady...


















And this other beautiful person...























So you see, I have to fill in that horrible hole in my life with a donut shaped cushion. A cushion so donuty and perfect that it doesn't even have a little hole in it, therefore filling the life hole completely. Perfect!

Heh.

So moral of the story (yeah, you probably got lost somewhere in the abyss of my rambling so a summary is key) is...

Misplace friends...
Buy stuff (preferably donut shaped).

Hello

Hello.
I went to Dunedin in the weekend for a brief visit. It was lovely. I saw all my family peeps. My mum gave me this salt, pepper and toothpick holder set. Isn't it beautiful????? YES, IT IS!


















Now I am "DJ-ing" at my house. I'm playing all the hits for Alex. I played "Oh comely" from Neutral Milk Hotel, "Everybody cares, everybody understands" by Elliot Smith, "Jeannie's Diary" by the Eels and much more. I must also mention that I did a particularly wonderful sing-a-long to Iron and Wine's cover of "Such great heights". Alex agrees, he thought that I sung extra sweetly (ok, he didn't say that out loud BUT I'm pretty sure that he thought it).

So overall a very successful weekend. The best I've had in ages. I will soon add some photos from Dunedinfuntimes (which is completely different to that ol' youtube hit Dunedin Fun Boys).

Oh and a shout out to all the recent birthday people: Emma (turned the big 3-0 on the 26th) and Boof (turned the big 2-6 yesterday).

Hello again.

Sorry I have been away. I have been trying to study hard and thus have spent the majority of my free time studying. I don't think it has worked, I feel as stupid as when I started (but maybe all that extra knowledge is locked up at the back of my brain for now, whizzing around, getting stronger for the day that it will be needed).
Yesterday when I woke up I was incredibly itchy. I thought that this was peculiar and there was a slight rash climbing up my neck. Just after lunch time my rash had gone full throttle: my stomach was completely red and it was all over my back and neck. Worst of all was when I looked in the mirror, realised that it had reached my face and that a few spots were hanging out between my eyebrows (monobrow rash anyone?). So I decided to go to after-hours and donate to them a big wad of my money. Fortunately on my way I met some doctors on my team and they prescribed me some medication instead.
So today I am home as my rash has not gone away. I keep finding that it is popping up in the weirdest places, like the backs of my fingers or just isolated to my right thigh.
I'm sure that this curious tale entertained you to no end - everybody enjoys a personal medical ailment story. The other things that have happened since the last time we spoke (yup, that's right, this is a personal blog entry just for you, sole reader of this blog) are...

1. Elizabeth left for India. I can't wait to find out what craziness she has been up to so far. From her facebook status I have received the knowledge that chafing is involved.
2. I was at the hospital on both days in the weekend doing acutes which was interesting but very tiring.
3. Alex has been making his menome, or to be more precise arduinome.

Hmm, I think that is it.... but I'll leave you with a picture of me and Alex...

A bright idea...

Let's all be buddies like these bulbs here.

Sorry they are not eco friendly but these little guys are old friends and have been hanging out since the 50's when eco bulbs weren't on the scene. They always pick up their litter though.

Or you could also look like this?

Surely one of you does...

This is what you could look like.

Do you look like this? I hope so.

Awww Dunedin, we love you.

For the last week or so I have really been missing Dunedin. I think it's mostly the people. I just wish that I could import all my lovely family and friends up to Wellington. If you are one of these fantastical Dunedinites please consider the move. You won't regret it (well I hope that you won't).
In the interim I will treasure the Wellington friends I do have (who are also of the highest quality). Here are some candid snaps of us having a super great time...













Photo 1: Here is Me, Alex, Thomas and Bea toasting marshmallows in front of the campfire. We met each other at toastmasters and since have been both camping and ten pin bowling (even though I hate it). Thomas is a bit of a mystery, we have no idea where he lives or what he does but he tells the best ghost stories. Alex got so scared he had a little accident in his pants. Bea is lovely although got a tad bit too angry when she came last in ten pin bowling and bit Alex's head.





















Photo 2. Here's me and Dawn out and about in the city. We are in our best woollies for winter. Dawn knitted both sweaters (she's a whiz with the needles). Sometimes we ring each other in the morning so that we can co-ordinate our outfits.















Photo 3: Here's Annie, Albie, Lizliz and me having a grand time playing a board game. We do this every second Wednesday night. Lizliz brings vegan cupcakes and Annie brings the beer. Then the night progresses from board games to raucous dancing until the neighbours bang on the floor.

What happens

when you stay inside all day with the intention to study but every time you try you can't process what you have read?
Well...

1. You have a break and try again at a later date.
2. After trying a few times you give up and play games on the internet, girly games, games that involve giving ladies facials, putting out the washing, making sandwiches and of course decorating cakes (don't ask me where I find these games).
3. It becomes night time and you have spent 24 hours indoors so you start to go crazy.
4. In the midst of your new found eccentricity (because, you know, you were completely normal before), you decide to make masks...

...of a fox and a rabbit.

Oh my! It's a super Tuesday.

Today's weather was real mean and nasty, it was so so cold. However, today was far from nasty. It was quite nice even! I'm sure that at about now you'll pipe in with: "well, what was so great about your day freako?" (yeah, exactly what you would have said, aye?)

Well...thank you for asking! At the moment I am on holidays but have decided to be super diligent and do school work. So I woke up at normal people hours (like 8 something) and, after a bit of fluffing around, I went to the library. Well, ho ho ho! You'll never guess what I did at the library! Yes, that's right! I studied! Oh and how I studied (I even did a few hours)! Then in my lunch time break Alex and I went to a deli and had delicious coffee and hot food: cannelloni, roasted eggplant and roasted potatoes. It was lovely and made my belly so round and warm. When I knocked off at 4 (ok, so I'm not a study master and therefore are proud of any effort) I went into a store and found the following tins...
















Photo 1. OooooooOOOOOOoooo gorgeous! (the toadstools wanted to be in the photo too so I kindly obliged)

Tonight I am also going to a delicious BYO and Deerhunter! But for now I'm going to have a cup of tea and a belgium biscuit that we made last night. It truly is a super Tuesday.
















Photo 2. Nom, nom, nom.

Waiting, Looking

Three weeks until I leave! Oh yeah.