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.

Venturing into the woods

I love foxes and beautiful women.

Animals that Gianna wants to befriend 2

On Wednesday night I had a nightmare where my parents bought the Bain house. It was terrible, my parents didn't realise at the time (but I did) and they turned it into a hotel. All of a sudden my nightmare turned into a version of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining (sorry Stephen King, I didn't like the other version) and I did not find it enjoyable. Fortunately for me my dream had a side story built into it (I'm guessing for a little bit of light relief) where we adopted a pet pig! It was fabulous! The wee piggle was so gentle and sweet.
My friend Shane told me that if you dream about a pig in Korea it is really lucky. Apparently then you can sell your dream to other people and they will inherit the luck. I find it strange that a nightmare can be lucky but at least you get something out of it. Plus now I sooooo want a pet pig and I keep looking up pictures of small pigs on the internet. One day I will get a miniature pig, or maybe two as they love to snuggle. Then I will buy both piggles and Alex matching argyle sweaters and enter them in a lookalike contest...Or maybe my three piggles and I will go on tour in our family band: Gianna and the piggles! AWESOME!

Animals that Gianna wants to befriend...

I am so sorry for posting today when Liz had done such a pretty one. I really like her Climate Camp sticker. It's AMAZING! I wish that I did it (0000000, picture envy).

Well lately I've been seeing animals that make me want a pet like sooo bad. For the last two weeks I've been visiting this white long haired domestic cat on the way to school and I must say: I LOVE IT! It's so friendly (sorry I have not yet determined the gender of the cat) and loves a cuddle. Partly the reason I love it though, which is so bad, is that the cat would complement so many of my outfits. I wear a navy blue coat to school and when I pick the cat up we look like a dream (or so I imagine). Ah white cats, the perfect fashion accessory!

Look out tomorrow for the sequel to Animals that Gianna wants to befriend (Animals that Gianna wants to befriend 2!).

Liz <3s Climate Camp Aotearoa 4EVA

I am in love with being involved in organising New Zealand's very own Climate Camp. It makes me so very happy. I drew a picture (above) because we were thinking of sticker ideas.

It's symbolic, eh. Of being grass "roots" but in New Zealand. Oh, how original, eh...

But now I am a little worried about it. What will the supercool activists say? Worrying is okay however, as it gives me something to think about whilst trying-not-to-procrastinate-studying for my TWO EXAMS this WEEK. (One being the dreaded (lol, pun!) ENVIRONMENTAL ECOnoMICs and POLicy!).

Cheers to getting confident!

Lately I have started to speculate that there is a gene for being a bad public speaker and that it runs in my family (yip, that's right, I blame everything on genetics). About a month ago my sisters decided to do something about this and started going to toastmasters in Dunedin. Funnily enough, I am not the world's number 1 speech giver - more one of those blushing, shaky, stuttering types. Therefore I decided to go to toastmasters too...

Turns out that it is AWESOME (well I haven't done a speech yet but still AWESOME)!! The group I visited was in a old church hall and had some of the nicest people, most of them being substantially older than me. From the moment I arrived I felt like I was in a movie, one of those english-y feel good movies with an eclectic group of people who all pull together in a moment of crisis (but for the most part provide hilarious entertainment through their crazy shenanigans).

I also learned a few tips about public speaking as you can also learn from Rustboy below...






















Fig 1. What a toastmasters member could look like although doesn't have to look like (everyone is welcome).

















Fig 2. Rust boy demonstrating the importance of using your eyes as well as your arms to gesture. In this photo you can see Rustboy displaying the proper body language for "wide". When talking about wide things, arms should be stretched out and eyes should be really open (kind of like what they would look like if you were surprised).

















Fig 3. Rustboy again demonstrating the importance of using your eyes as well as your arms to gesture. In this photo Rustboy should be displaying the correct body language to use for "narrow". When talking about narrow things, arms should be brought in close to the body and eyes should be really squinty (kind of like the eyes a cat makes when they are happy). Unfortunately this is more difficult body language for Rustboy to show because his arms can't come in very far and he cannot close his eyes. However let's commend Rustboy for trying: Good job Rustboy!

Ps. Leigh sent me this link, go to it!

I Like those Dorky glasses that you are wearing, Mister!

My package from Lazy Oaf came in the mail the other day and it was sooooo exciting! Now I have my awesome sweatshirt and we also got some dorky glasses which are total awesome. I love Alex on them (see drawing below). They make him look even dorkier than he was (who would have guessed that was possible?!) - which of course I love! Tehehe...

Recently I have been trying to get into study mode, which is frustratingly hard. Every night I attempt to study with a mixed bag result (which is scary as Sims 3 comes out in TWO DAYS!). Additionally, I feel that I have become socially isolated as a consequence of these semi academic circumstances. This has appeared to make me ultra sensitive and I have started over-analysing everything.

If you know of any remedies for getting out of a state of neurosis please let me know (I've tried watching movies but apparently Woody Allen only augments my condition, go figure).

Thank you!!

BEETLE PORN, NOW WITH LOVELY LADIES!

BEETLE PORN

Cold, Rain, Cold, Rain.

Its so cold. I don't want to go outside at all.

This morning I walked to the vegetable market. I was wearing my new waterproof jacket. Which is not really new, I just have only worn it once or twice, because although it it highly functional, it is not exactly pretty. My skirt got wet, and rain drizzled into my gumboots and I left my functional jacket open at the neck, which let me get partially drenched. And I dropped a bag of onions, and the guy I bought parsley off laughed at me, and then it turned out I had mascara lavishly smeared over both of my upper cheeks.

Now I have to go outside again, to go kiwi-feeding at the sanctuary. And I just want to stay at home, listening to New Yorker podcasts and drawing in the notebook that Amy gave me.

I do like the cold, and the rain, but not in person. Only in theory.

Frank stands against the wall.

My friend Frank said that he went to a party the other night and all he did was stand against the wall. Nobody came to talk to him the whole evening. The other people at the party were too busy milling around their own groups to bother with ol' Frank. At some point of the night he tried various poses of leaning against the wall in an alluring way in order to attract some friends. However, all he got were disapproving glances.
I feel sorry Frank as I too suffer from the affliction of being incredibly uncool. Still it's nice to think we have each other. It's like we have our own secret club, a club that has secret fort meetings and gingernuts (both Frank and I love gingernuts).

Wow wee, Gianna's so creative

Today I needed a table so stole Alex's speaker and jazzed it up a bit (added some gingernuts and a cup of coffee) to turn it into a BEAUTIFUL coffee table. I am so the home decorating queen (didn't you spot the doily?)! Even Martha Stewart said so....

Ok, she didn't. I lied.

Procrastin Nation

Writing a policy paper about how the different types of capital were considered in the construction of the Narmada Dams in western India. Maybe I will be looking at the Narmada in a couple of months. That would be nice.

I'm so excited.

I did not draw anything in my lecture like our Liz but I am super excited about this sweatshirt that Alex is getting me from lazy oaf. It's reversible!

My Collection

I drew these in my Antarctic lecture today (in my head I said "An-arctic, like those Americans do). I plan to add more specimens soon.

Feed me Seymour!

Preferably human blood because that's what Audrey II eats, yo.























Yeah, the other day we were going to watch Little shop of Horrors from 1986 but unfortunately, as it often does happen, the dvd from the video shop was too scratched. Fortunately I have seen the movie many times and therefore know most the numbers so just replay it in my head, over and over. Yip, like a crazy lady, but hey, it's free!

Happy Mother's Day!!!!

My mum is my favourite. I like her way more than cake. Way more.

Gianna's Wednesday pick of cool things....

...In our house.
In the selection we have:

• Peanut the plush elephant.
• Hal freddo the porcelain snowman.
• Toadstool salt and pepper shakers on a pretty dish.
• Lots of cute mini Tupperware containers which are apparently "fair trade".
• My cool Smile Jjang mug that my sister gave me for christmas.
• A children's woodstock accordion.
• Little toys - pumpkin head, artist bear house, squirrel with sausages & funny super hero/villain man.
• Acme Novelty Library #19 - which is highly recommended by me.

Eggs! Wooo.

Here are the eggs that we decorated at Easter. Albie did the zig zag number and finished off with artistic pizazz the big spot and little dot egg. I did the the stripey egg, the white splodge egg and the landscape-y one in the middle. Rebecca (Alex's past flatmate and present time budbud) did the wonderful 'Happy Easter' argyle egg and her boyfriend Dave did the oh so chic white and grey egg.
Overall I think we did a great job! Go team!

Ok!

Enough drawing, now, I will study.

One time...

...I got eaten by a lion.

And did you also know....

...that when Elizabeth needs to think, she consults her knowledge bunny. Yes that's right she has a very good acquaintance that pops up whenever she requires a solution to a hard question. How lucky our Liz is (plus, she'd be the perfect person to have on your local pub quiz team)! I wish I had a knowledge bunny.

Did you know...

That when you go to sleep, dream monkeys come and caress your little noggin, filling it with lovely dreams??
Well I've sneaked a peek at them a few times but a couple of nights ago I managed to get cold hard proof by the way of my camera!!! They weren't very happy after that and haven't returned since. Therefore I've been having bad bad dreams, hmmmmph. However, tonight I have a cunning plan! I will prepare them an offering of bananas and dark chocolate m&ms which, surely, no dream monkey can resist...

I will update you on how it goes...

Thinking Hard

'bout stuff.