Twenty Five Things

1. I have an irrational fear of moths. Still. And the fear is proportional with the size of the moth. I go very still and quiet until they go away.

2. I am very very pale. Like nearing blue pale. I used to hate this for years and now I love it. My arms are a pale walnut colour at the moment and I find it disgusting.

3. When I was 12 we did a project at school where we had to measure our heights. I came out with 5’3” and believed I was that height until I went to a new doctor when I was about 16? And she was 5’3” and didn’t believe me when I told her my height. Turns out? 5’1.25”

4. My least favourite sentence? “How do you know that?” drives me crazy. Welcome to my wonderful world of knowing things. Reading books. Remembering stuff. ARGH.

5. I have a great ear for languages. At high school I regularly got 100% in my French oral examinations (Craig! Don’t even GO there) and at the extra-curricular Italian classes the teacher praised my accent.

6. From the ages of 12 to 24 my hair was never shorter than my shoulder blades and never longer than my waist.

7. I have an annoyingly high tolerance for caffeine. The last time caffeine kept me awake was when I drank 6 red bulls in one post-meridian timeframe.

8. I have always been very good at spelling. I didn’t even hesitate about the correct spelling of caffeine up there. But of course there are some words which trip me up. Ironically, misspell is one of them.

9. I love language. Words are beautiful and among my favourite things. Vespertine is my all time favourite. It means “of the evening” (not Album-by-Bjork) and I even have it engraved on a bracelet.



10. I am not scared of language. Cunt.

11. I didn’t believe a person could be in love with a city until I moved to London.

12. I am not child friendly. Craig is a child whisperer. This is a good thing because while I may not fawn over children, I do want my own.

13. I have become allergic to cats. A year in London with no contact with cats for a year? Now they make my eyes itch.

14. I can bend my pinkies in half while keeping my ring fingers straight. if using my hands to create the number 4, I utilise this trick and keep my thumbs free. This is also how we discovered that my pinkie fingers are odd.



Least impressive finger thing ever.



15. I don’t often swear. I do say damn and blast and shoot and bother. They are just much more fun to say! But if I do want to swear, then I can swear like a motherfucker.

16. My second least favourite sentence? “Where are you from originally?” this only annoys me in New Zealand because I was born and raised right here. I started paying attention to being asked this when I was 13 and it happens quite regularly when I meet someone. I have a slight British lilt to my voice. I can hear it myself. I swear, and friends & family can attest to this, it has been there since before I moved to London and it is how I speak naturally. It is not something I put on for a lark. And it’s just a lilt, a way of pronouncing things which sounds a bit proper. In Britain they ask me where I’m from but that’s understandable because I sound like a fucking New Zealander.

17. I have issues with dairy. I’m not allergic but I just really really dislike the sensation it leaves in my mouth/throat. Yick. Despite this, my favourite flavour is mint-chocolate.

18. I prefer my bathroom products to be transparent. See-through soap, shampoo, toothpaste. I’m not too bothered about conditioner but that’s probably because I haven’t found one that is a) transparent and b) does the job.

19. My favourite seasons are Autumn, Winter, Spring. Summer for a vacation. I love wearing tights and dresses, coats, hats, scarves, gloves. I am a cold-weather girl.

20. After living in London I became unused to wearing jeans. If I did it was skinny jeans tucked into boots.

21. I am distinctly a-religious (wait, that’s a lie. I simply have a more syncretic set of beliefs, karma is big with me, as is the hindu idea of there being many gods but one god. I don’t personally believe in the judeo-christian mythos) and yet my two closest girl friends are quite religious. One Christian, One Jewish. I love them and I like that about them.

22. I love to travel. You might know this about me. BUT! I also like the act of travelling, packing the perfect inflight bag, perfecting the art of packing carry-on-only bags, getting to the airport with time to spare, browsing duty free, the flight, the airplane food (not for taste reasons of course) and wine, collecting baggage. And road trips. In New Zealand I love making up a mix cd and driving for hours with Sir C, singing along, taking photos, watching the green and blue blur by.

23. I’ve always been morbid. Obsessed with murderers, death, decay, ghosts, possession, demons, witchcraft. I may not always look goth from the outside but chances are good my earrings are skulls and I’m reading a book about vampires (NOT Twilight though. I’m reading Let the Right One In at the moment).

24. I like having bruises, I pierced my own belly button (it got infected & I had to take it out. SHOCK), tried to pierce my own nose, stretched one of my 3 ear piercings to 0g, and have 1 tattoo. But I’m a huge baby and I hate pain.

25 I work in the New Zealand Government. I won’t say where, for whom, or doing what, save that I’m not high up on the food chain at all, but I do get a swipe card. Because of this job, I have found that my favourite word to handwrite (cursive) is caucus.



p.s. Microsoft Word does not recognise Vespertine or Cunt. It does recognise motherfucker.

This week I really and truly heart



I already own three meadowlark pieces.
The first was a pair of earrings I purchased was love at first sight, the ring a treat for getting employed (the first time since London), and the third? I think the third was when I was having a very bad day.




Today is also a no-good-very-bad day. Or at least my current state of mind believes it to be so (I am like a stream! check with me again in two hours) and as such I am pleased that they require payment via paypal.
Paypal apparently hates people who move countries or email addresses or who don't use their account for awhile and then forget the password.
But I digress. I'm pleased that I cannot currently buy anything from their site because I would, in a flash, and I would regret it later. LOVE the piece but HATE the extra money on my credit card.
Ahh the joys of seemingly interminable savings.

http://www.meadowlark.co.nz

Meadowlark is true personal outlet for two talented young designers who take their craft seriously enough to produce long lasting, precious jewellery for others to treasure.

Claire Hammon is a self educated, uninhibited designer of much. In her late teens, early twenties she created and grew a successful street wear label into the solid brand Urchin. The sale of this in 2004 allowed her to launch fully into her passion for graphic design. She now runs a studio that holds a solid portfolio of magazine, textile, graphic and web design work.

Greg is a trained visual artist who turned his hand to mastering the craft of jewellery design and construction. He has worked on signature range's for brands such as Huffer and also creates stunning one off pieces for private clients wanting personal, memorable wedding jewellery.

Meadowlark was created to complement the talents of both Claire and Greg. They work together on all aspects of the design process and prototyping. Their ultimate aim of producing high end, fashion based jewellery is reflected in their growing market and customer loyalty.

I can attest that they treat their customers very well.
When I was purchasing my fang ring they were pre-online-shop and Claire contacted me directly to arrange to have the ring made, to my size, and sent to their stockist nearest to me so I could pick it up. And she was lovely throughout.

IF I could have placed an order today, I would have ordered


$75 (NZD)

The M is for Meadowlark but could also be for my Maiden name. I love the scroll/ornate detail and the flick of the M. Lovely.

IF I was not trying to save $1000 a fortnight, then I would have perhaps gone for


$160 (NZD)


$427 (NZD) - it is quite large


$300 (NZD)

or perhaps, for a splash of colour, the item which is making my heart flutter most of all


$200 (NZD) - one off and only available online.*





As part of their super-secret (that might be a lie) newsletter, I was alerted to the fact that as of mid-March (I'm excited!) they are debuting a new MINI range where the favourites (WHICH WILL THEY CHOOSE?? I couldn't decide) will be miniature and also more affordable (Fun fact! I love miniature things). They are also debuting cufflinks. Perfect! Craig (Fun fact!) really quite likes cufflinks and even has a little collection.

Meadowlark have 16 stockists in New Zealand, 2 in Australia, and their wonderful online store.


*eek! perhaps I shouldn't have said anything!

Dear Readers (Hi Mum!),
Sadly this week the photos from the archives are sub par. They never saw the light of day because they are the unattractive siblings of the photos that graced the original Oh Darling entry,
BUT! I follow rules (as much as I can or care to do) and so? here you are:



In November 2007 in an entry with a painful pun as the title (The lock of love ... is in your eyes ... Seriously Past-Sarah??) I wrote about a phenomenon which was romantic and ridiculous (my favourite combination!) where, ape-ing a novel & movie, lovers would write their names on a lock, attach it to the Ponte Milvio in Rome, and throw the keys into the river.
A couple of weeks after this story started circulating, I noticed padlocks showing up on the Millennium Bridge. They lasted quite some time, but I dare say they are gone by now.



I will check next time I'm in London and let you know.

In which I am an Idiot

So. Two of the secret, just-for-me resolutions I made for 2009 were to:
1. Carry a much smaller bag
2. Carry my DSLR with my as much as possible.
Counter intuitive no? to carry a camera muchmuch larger than I was used to and a much smaller bag? Well, yes. It was impossible to do both and carry on as I was. The bag I was used to carrying every single day was ridiculously full and I had no room for my DSLR.
It forced me to scale back immensely. To streamline & re-evaluate my day-to-day needs.

Here is how it changed

2008



purse + novel + magazine + A4 folder + pocket camera + perfume + 7 keys on 2 key rings (all connected together) + little MJ purse with loyalty cards + headphones + moleskine diary + moleskine notebook + pens + hand lotion + makeup case containing 2 foundations, blusher, extraneous brush, 3 lipsticks, 2 mascara, touche eclat, travel eyelash curler, mirror + gum
(not all pictured)

And then of course the receipts, wrappers, extraneous bits & pieces (bobby pins galore!) that cluttered the bottom of my bag.
Oh! and there was usually a travel sized hand lotion (fun fact! I abhor dry hands) hiding amongst the detritus.

Then, in a fit of I-don't-know-what, I purchased a bag that I promptly decided I hated (I HATE when I do that) until of course, in early January, I realised that not only was it approximately 1/250th the size of my previous bag



(or maybe 1/3)

it would also carry my DSLR. It's like a miniature Mary Poppins bag. Only much cuter, despite the socialite-esque brand (though Guess do design some less Paris Hilton esque bags as well. Like mine. ENOUGH JUSTIFYING. Good Lord).

So now? I carry ...

2009


DSLR + purse + headphones + moleskine diary & notebook + 1 lip balm + 1 lip stick + travel sized hand lotion + 2 keys on 1 ring (a mirror) + 1 pen + my work ID + gum
(not all pictured)
(obviously. The DSLR (which takes up 1/2 the bag) is taking the photo)

If I need to take my script or feel the need for a novel or magazine, I simply carry it. Not exactly rocket science but it took me years to work it out.

Not only can I now find things in my bag a lot easier (hence the travel lotion) but my shoulder no longer aches!

Week Four

Sunday
Two hours at rehearsal and all I had was this one line.


Monday
A public holiday (Wellington Anniversary) and I spent it learning lines (I do have more than just one) and painting my fingernails.
And eating a candy cane.


Tuesday
On Tuesday I found a beautiful (NZ) designer top for slightly more than 90% off. Amazing.


Wednesday
I watched history happen.
I watched the inauguration from 5:30am. I ended up standing still for the whole 18 minutes of his speech. When I got to work the new American president was all over the newspapers.


Thursday
I decorated the spine of my moleskine diary with some of my favourite moo stickers.


Friday
It was a horrible horrible day. The sky was grey and I was feeling grim about the mouth.


Saturday
An all day rehearsal. In between my scenes I amused myself by taking photos. This was one of my favourites.


&

Taming of the Shrew

n a New Zealand first we are doing it with an all-female cast.

Where: Muritai School Yard, Eastbourne

(Outside but moves inside in poor weather)

When: 7.30 p.m. Tuesday 17 to Saturday 21 Feb

Tickets: $15, $12 (concession) & $10 (Fringe Addict/child)

Dymocks Bookseller, Lambton Quay

Rona Gallery, Eastbourne

Door sales from 7 pm

Booking line: 0832 77790