a night at R'toto

Right, I've been in Auckland for a week now. Its been good to get back and see the fam although it did have the downside of me filling in my sister's cooking nights because she's away for Netball champs in Whangare (pronounced fang-a-rey).

My sister and I decided to kick start our weekend last night by hitting up R'totos on the Shore. We waited for nearly an hour to get in but it was sorta worth the wait. I swear to G that short white chick who kept shoving me was on her last straw. But I consider myself a passive person so I let it slide. Besides she had a fugly out-fit on so that was punishment enough for her lol (my inner "mean girl" is chuckling to herself right now).

R'totos is a bar /restaurant in Takapuna in Auckland's North Shore. It's pretty big with a capacity of 200 plus maybe (I'm just guessing) and is one of the North Shore's swankier night spots (plus it's close to home). The music at times reminded me of Lamana. It was a combination of dance/tech/rock/rnb/rap and they even had videos for every song. I caught myself watching the videos in the midst of dancing. It's got a good vibe about it and once you get inside all you wanna do is grab a drink and dance. The water features outside are funky (I think someone poured some bubble bath into it last night) and the main bar is a beach hut complete with thatched roofing. There is ample sitting space inside and out but the dance floor is pretty much where you want to be.

My highlights for the night - when they played destination calabria, pictures by Sneaky Sound System, Rock this part by Bob Sinclar. My pet peeves for the night - R'totos closing at 1am, the long line outside, the mini- Lisa Loeb with the fugly outfit who kept trying to shove me and the clowns who kept pushing or line-jumping. Overall I'd give it a 3 out of 5.

Alex Guadino - Destination Calabria

MTV VMAs 2007

So the MTV video music awards are around the corner ( 9th September). This year the awards will be held in Las Vegas but get this, the presenters have not been named just yet and while performances have been scheduled that list does change.
I'm always on the look out for good performances and to see what sort of controversial things happen.
About.com compiled are list of the Top 10 most memorable moments from the awards:

10. 2006 - My Chemical Romance - "The Black Parade"
9. 1995 - Courtney Love Disrupts Madonna Interview
8. 1988 - Guns 'n Roses - "Welcome to the Jungle"
7. 1990 - MC Hammer - "U Can't Touch This"
6. 1993 - Neil Young and Pearl Jam - "Keep Rockin' in the Free World"
5. 1994 - Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley Kiss
4. 2000 - Eminem - "The Real Slim Shady"
3. 2001 - *NSYNC with Michael Jackson - "Pop"
2. 1992 - Nirvana - "Lithium"
1. 2003 - Madonna, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera

Wikipedia however has an extensive list of "Notable Moments" right from 1984 to 2006.

SOme of my personal memorable moments would have to be:
- P.Diddy,Faith Evans,112 and Sting "i'll be missing you"
- Beyonce's "Ring the alarm" performance
- Lil Kim wearing that pastie over her boobie

This year's performers include Kanye West, Rihanna, Gym Class Heroes, Amy Winehouse, Fall Out Boy, Common, and Daniel Merriweather.
For more info and videos fromn past award shows check out 2007 VMA

Throwback Track: PM Dawn- set adrift...

Phenomenal Woman: Jaking Merimyas

New Age Woman updated their page on the Post Courier and I decided to suss out their new issue. Their "Nivea Lunch-break" feature has to be one of the things I look forward to reading. PNG has so many successful women who often don't have their successes celebrated (in comparison to men in the country).
This month's feature was on Jaking Marimyas. It took me a while to realise that I'd actually gone to school with 3 of her daughters - Hannah, Lucille and their younger sister (who's name escapes me at this point). She is also the younger sister of MP Bart Philemon. Anyways here's the article...

“You can do better,” Jaking Marimyas told herself.
Like most Papua New Guinean women back in 1968 and at the age of 18, education past high school to tertiary institutions was very competitive.
And taking the back seat still hearing the words of her older brother (“It’s girls like this that deserve to be sent to universities…” about a female relative), Mrs Marimyas clenched her fist and made a vow to prove the whole village wrong including her brother.
“After completing Grade 9 at Bumayong High School - due to limited space - I decided to enroll at Balob Teachers College to train to become a teacher.
“I did well passing with a credit beating those Grade 10 students who were in my class,” she reminisced with an accomplished smile.
Upon receiving her certificate for teaching, the college principal approached her consider training to become a lecturer at the college.
“Mr Stolz was the principal then and he offered me a job to be trained as a lecturer after doing two years of my teaching in the field,” she said.
It was in 1973 when Mrs Marimyas bunked up with three other Australian women lecturers to study to become an associate lecturer.
The idea then was for her to learn the ways of the expatriates and to raise her personal and professional standard.
“I had a professional mentor, Ms Pitman was her name but when at home, it was Rosemary Gerlken, one of the three expatriate women, I was living with,” she said.
Mrs Marimyas said they had a system in place for house keeping, where one person took charge of cooking for a week.
“I was scared at first to cook the women our traditional dishes so I would stand behind the ladies while they were cooking and watch. Picking up how they did their cooking, I would do the same including my favourite, cucumber and cheese sandwich.”
“Then one time I took up the courage to do some traditional dishes cooking chicken and pumpkin leaves with coconut. To my surprise the pots were all clean swept,” she remembered smiling.
Mrs Marimyas like most Papua New Guineans during those days was always compared with others. She felt uncomfortable at times when she was in the village.
“I knew they were preparing us for jobs. But they never taught us how to fit back into our traditional societies; for me it was something I had to teach myself.”
She furthered her knowledge of the world when she was sent to Brisbane for a week’s YWCA conference. Then in 1974, she went to Canberra for 10 months to complete her diploma in tertiary teaching. It was here that she met her husband Gabriel Marimyas and got married the following year in July. Both had their first daughter Alma in 1978 and Noela the following year.
Mrs Marimyas continued to have offers to further her studies overseas but declined.
“My priority was my family and my children so I rejected all these offers,” she said.
But Ms Philemon even after having six children still never gave up the vow she made when she was in Grade 9. She enrolled at UPNG in 1991 to complete her matriculation studies and then to completed her first degree.
“The Bachelor in Education was an In-service, split Campus program for Teacher’s College Lectures coordinated by UPNG and Queensland University of Technology.
“During my study at UPNG, I met the same female relative my brother had been talking about. I had fulfilled the vow, accomplished it. But a little voice inside me told me I could do more,” she said.
And she did just that by achieving another degree, a Master of Learning Innovation.
Mrs Marimyas is currently the Assistant Secretary for the Curriculum Development and Assistant Division with the Department of Education.
She is now 57 and has traveled to the United States, Canada, England, Japan, Thailand and number of Pacific Island countries.
“But in life my greatest achievement is my family including my twin grandsons,” she said.
So what is your secret?” I asked and she said, “Never show people that you are a woman by putting up barriers, see yourself as a partner doing that work…. never show that you know better than him; ideas are good, never challenge, acknowledge their strength and work with them.”

Source: New Age Woman

Update on NZ to PNG txting

Let me clarify things. I'm referring to Vodafone NZ (note the "NZ to PNG txting" in the post title)

Digicel have gotten their wires crossed.
Let me use bullet points to avoid confusion:
- Telecom (NZ) customers can txt Digicel numbers
-Digicel customers cannot txt Telecom numbers
-Digicel customers can txt Vodafone numbers
-Vodafone customers cannot txt Digicel numbers

I guess their main priority is to get interconnectivity between their customers and BMobile and even that hasn't gone to plan.

Op shopping aka The Second Hand

Don't you just hate it when you go out or your sitting in a lecture and a girl three rows in front of you is wearing the same t-shirt or top as you? Its even worse if you're at a party,the uni ball...but you get what I mean. Well hit up some op shops or the second hand to diversify your wardrobe.

On my way home from an interview I checked out the Salvos on Taranaki St. Every once in a while I like to see what I can find and most times you'll find some pretty good stuff in there. The good thing is, scratch that, the great thing is you can find some one off pieces e.g. tops, dresses,skirts,blouses and bags.

I scored myself a bag, a dress (which I bought with summer in mind) and a top to wear out clubbing. All up the damage was $22.

The pros -it saves you money, individual pieces, vintage pieces for less
The cons - if you hate wearing something that's pre-worn then this is not for you, No Return policy,time consuming

Chocolate Goodness

I'm sitting here eating my first fudge brownie in months and my first chocolate treat in over a month.
Its a 7 by 8cm, 80gram piece of heaven. Mrs Higgins, you my dear ROCK!
With that being said, if Mrs Higgins rocks then the Mayans and Aztecs are Rock Gods in comparison. Their employment of the cacao seed made its possible for us to enjoy the treats of chocolates, chocolate drinks ( milkshakes,hot chocolates, moccacinos, etc). The Mayans and the Aztecs realised the potential of cacao seed and thousands of years ago were already using the cacao bean to make drinks. It was during the Spanish Conquest that the Spaniards also realised the value of the seed and began importing it back to the mainland. Within 100 years of introducing to Spain it's popularity had spread all over Europe. However it was expensive to import and it remained an "elite beverage" for the upper class who could afford it. It wouldn't be until the 1800s that the drink would become a confection and easier to produce. Fast forward into the 21st century and my how chocolate has gone from strictly a beverage into a confection, from limited consumption by the upper class to accessible by the public and to the many forms and combinations of sweet and wonderful (and sometimes sickly)delight.

Throwback Track: Shaft - mambo italiano

Lovemyflash.com

Tired of the bulky html codes that you have to copy and paste just so you can "pimp" your myspace page? well worry no more. Lovemyflash.com has just the thing for you. Their flash media templates are easy to tweek i.e. you can choose your own colours and they leave you the freedom to add widgets and embed images. The downside is knowing where to put certain details e.g. your "about me" section but you'll quickly get the hang of that and the other things is you have to clear the old HTML codes you had so if you have a good bit of code for images/widgets I suggest you cut and paste that on to notepad and later add that into the appropriate section of the lovemyflash code AFTER you've saved it. Otherwise you'll mess up the code.
Shout out to Spowf for this post...if it wasn't for her myspace page I wouldn't have come across lovemyflash.com. Thanks girl!

Artist Spotlight: Talib Kweli

"I tried" featuring Mary j Blige was my introduction to Talib Kweli.
The summer of 04 and well into 2005 other songs like "beautiful struggle", "broken glass" featuring Faith Evans, "Never been in love" , "we know" also featuring Faith Evans would be also become some of my favourites.
He released his debut album Quality in 2002, and the Beautiful Struggle in 2004.
I just recently found out (courtesy of Real Talk New York) that his third album is set for release on the 21st August. Titled Ear Drum it features production by will-i-am,Kany West, Kwame, Timbaland and guest artists Justin Timberlake, UGK, Norah Jones, and Musiq to name a few.
Intriugued by the reveiw I read on Real Talk I downloaded a couple songs just to have a listen and decide for myself.
Stand outs for me:"the Nature" ft Justin Timberlake,"say something" ft Jean Grae,"oh my stars","hot thing" ft will-i-am,"listen" & "more or less"
I was tempted to download other songs too but considering that he's got quality tracks I would much rather buy the album.
click here for the full review of Ear Drum
or visit his talibkweli.com to listen the album

VIDEO: Hot Thing ft Will-i-am

The New faces of Louis Vuitton

When it comes to promoting their luggage, luxury brand Louis Vuitton has looked beyond the usual suspects of starlets and young models to be the face of their new fall/winter ad campaign. Instead they've chosen former Soviet Union president, Mikhail Gorbachev and for the female counterpart cast in these more upscale ads, Louis Vuitton has chosen 64 year old French actress, Catherine Deneuve. The ads were shot by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz.

SOURCE: Batch Please!

Orange Anyone?

SOURCE : fashion nette-work

Fresh

Check out these Puma Clydes that got released in the US at Major DC (must be exclusive to the States which sux!) . I love the colours. For some reason I can picture M.I.A. rocking these, must be cos of the vibrant colour she uses in her vids.
I've actually been talking about colours a lot, must be my need for summer to get here.
SOURCE: highsnobiety.com

Chicks with Kicks

I am a self confessed junkie for sneakers and flats. I think my injuring my left ankle at aged 11 which left me with a slight limp has something to do with my wanting to rock comfy shoes. But comfy does not have to equal daggy. I love my chucks, my white, sparkling flats (which I call moccasins and I know they are going to break one day but till then I am going to keep wearing them), my pink airwalks and my white converses. Don't get me wrong I love shoes (what woman doesnt) but I love those types of shoes a lil more.
But that aside I just came across Chicks with Kicks. A column in highsnobiety.com and I must say, i love it! There articles are updated and the most of the fashion is stuff that I dig. This lil quote sums up what the column is about:

Chicks with Kicks is written as the name tells already only by girls. On this blog you will find all sorts of topics and articles that are related to streetwear and sneakers and lots of other topics from a girls point of view.

One of their contributers also has her own blog trendynation which I hit up every so often.

[m]onday [g]ripe

I'm too tired to gripe about anything...actually Im gonna take a swing at it and b*tch about the shitty weather we're having in Wellington right now. Its crap with a capital C and 3 exclamation marks at the end!
We've had hurricane type winds all weekend and the rainman decided to put out my fire for clubbing on Saturday night by letting loose stormy weather (damn u rainman!). I slept in this morning because I felt I deserved to although it was at the cost of my History of Journalism lecture. But as punishment for that the gods decided to open up the heavens and make my walk to campus a wet one. I got in my assignment in on time and without too much trouble which I haven't been able to to since my first year at uni.
So I just stepped out to take some pictures of the rain but I have the shittest view of the city from my room and I didn't want to look like and idiot with my fone in hand trying to take pics of who knows what.
Anyways...Maybe its just me but there are one too many chics at uni wearing the same type of ish and I find myself combating this by wearing different colours and summer prints with my flats or kicks. A lotta chics are trying soo much to fit in outfit-wise but I say fnck that, "this b*tch was born to stand out!" lol. Major props to the Asian students though, they rock some pretty funky fits. I just wish I had a camera so I could take some decent pics.

Throwback track: Kelis - caught out there

Wronged women unite! lol I loved this song when I first saw it in 1999. I mean you could feel her anger through the chorus. This song was funky and fresh ( I still think it rocks). She sings smoothly over the beat before lashing out to vent her anger and frustrations in the hook. Once again this vid is directed by Hype Williams, is produced by The Neptunes and was the first single off Kelis's debut album Kaleidescope.The opening scene reminds me of a Missy Elliott's video for Teary-eyed in fact come to think of it that vid was kind of a rip off of this one.

Pharell and Twista: give it up

The use of fantastic colours in this video reminded me of Kanye West's "gold digger" video and not suprising too cos they're both directed by Hype Williams. I've also been a Pharell fan (cos apart from being eye candy lol he is a 1 half of the dynamic producer team that is the Neptunes) Anywho check out this new vid...

Artist Spotlight: Keri Hilson

You may have first seen her sing the hook on Xzhibit's "hey now" but Keri Hilson has been writing songs fr other artists since 2000. She has written music for Britney Spears, Toni Braxton, Mary J Blige, Lloyd Banks and Timbaland just to name a few. This year she has freatured "good things" with Plow Da Don and Rich boy as well as Timbaland's hit single "the way I are" and several other tracks of his Shock Value album.
She is currently signed to Timbaland's record label Mosley Music Group and is in the process of making her debut album which involves further production by Timbaland, Danja, Xzibit, Polow Da Don, The Underdogs, Organized Noize, Bangladesh, Tha Cornaboyz, Tony Dixon, Eric Dawkins, Tank and guest appearances bySnoop Dogg, Ludacris, and Justin Timberlake. In the mean time check her out in
After Love - click here to listen
or "the way I are"

NZ to PNG txting finally!!!

I am not sure whether or not Digicel customers can txt internationally yet but I am pretty sure I can now txt Digicel numbers from my Telecom and Vodafone cell fones. My cousin rang me from Port Moresby last night to confirm that she had gotten my txt however she was unable to send me a reply due to some tech fault (which I am sure that Digicel is probably tweaking at as I type lol). Finally some progress on the communication front with the rellies back home.
NOTE my fone is not as slick as the pic I put up for this post...

PNG School Journal launching

The Papua New Guinea School Journal is to be launched today in Port Moresby by the Education Department. Its about time that journals like this be published to give aspiring writers,poets, and journalists an outlet. The journal is to be published on a monthly basis and is being funded with the help of the New Zealand government.

Despite the fact that the journal is targeted for students at primary school level I think its a good start. I only wish there could be one for Secondary School students as well. Like some sort of a writers forum. That being said I think that the best go for them would be for the creation of e-zine/e-journals that is specific to Secondary Students and whose contributers would be secondary students however given the fact that there is limited access to the net this could still be a while off.

Children in need of counselling

PARENTS and teachers need to listen to children who are hurting at this time more than those who grew up some 30 to 40 years ago.
Head of June Valley elementary school Evangeline Clarence made these comments when talking to about the increasing number of hurting children in schools.
Besides having a heavy teaching workload, Ms Clarence goes out of her way to attend to disturbed children, and finds the number is rising every year but there are no trained counsellors for schools.
“Schools must have trained counsellors. Schools must be ready to attend to these children. I see many children who are crushed emotionally because home is not a happy place for them. Many are withdrawn and I know there is something wrong,’’ she says.
She said the social issues were numerous.
Mrs Clarence said that if it was not poverty, it was escalating number of family breakdowns with many children growing up either without their parents or with one parent and a step-parent. For instance, a child comes to school looking sick but further questioning reveals she is hurting deeply inside.
“My mum is gone, and my father is remarried but the new wife does not care for me,’’ is one of the common responses Ms Clarence gets when she talks to little children.
Mrs Clarence says she relies on the Bible for guidance.

SOURCE: http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20070808/wehome.htm (08 Aug 2007)

Fashion Post: The Skirt Dress

Some of ya'll may already be onto this look (I have yet to find a suitable occasion to rock mine lol). If you have a full length flowing skirt there is the option of wearing that as a dress. Vibe it up with one of your funky belts at the waist or just below the bosom area, throw on a pair of hot heels, grab a clutch and you're pretty much set for a fun night out or an evening with your Other.

"Five years is a long time to live with a bad choice"

Writing about PNG politics is not my forte and discussing it works me into a frenzy. I have lost all faith in the political system since the Sandline Crisis of 1997. In the last ten years my beloved country has suffered much. We've gone from bad to worse to put it simply with the gap between the havs and have nots growing, inflation rates high, allegations (and cases) of corruption rife in the Government and its departments and the distribution of basic services to the people slow if not non-existent. The 2007 elections have ended with the last couple of winners being declared last week and with race on for camps to woo ministers in order to form a majority that will be invited by the Governor General to form the new government.
The following letter to the Editor in the Post Courier struck a chord with me and I share the same views as this man. I am adamant that without the right people at the wheel PNG will be up shit's creek without a paddle.

Chan, Morauta and Philemon a dynamic team

Chan for PM. Brilliant! The headline of the Post-Courier on August 2, lit up my gloomy sky, but for a moment.
Sir Julius Chan at the helm with Mr Bart Philemon and Sir Mekere Morauta on the flanks as Treasurer and National Planning ministers is the dream team on offer.
This trio combined is the antidote PNG badly needs. This is what the doctor ordered and the election delivered. The "people have spoken" nonsense should not be used to intimidate independents to surrender to National Alliance (NA) because the race for the PM post is still wide open. NA’s 26 seats out of 109 is not the majority.
They should blow their trumpet if NA won 55 seats or more.
The Chan, Morauta and Philemon package is the long-awaited prospect of vast experience, achievement and future promise currently on offer. This golden opportunity to rescue PNG from more corruption runs until August 13. Five years is a long time to live with a bad choice. We'll never ask for a better combination free from radical family members and one ethnic group running the show. There is no room for nepotism here as the trio is culturally and geographically diverse as New Ireland, Gulf and Morobe yet with a powerful combined CV as economic visionaries, reformists and sound finance managers.
The three of them united is the hard drive that will propel this nation forward into prosperity and beyond. The National Alliance is still infected with the Moti virus, the Finance Department corruption virus, nepotism virus, the suppressive anti-competition virus against telephone companies and the hijack virus where the taxpayer’s Kumul One is being hijacked for party politics. Where is the Ombudsman Commission?
I am appealing to the many good independents and leaders of smaller parties to think critically for our children's future. The last government is still infected with these unresolved issues and you certainly will be contaminated by association. You may never even go to Australia with people like Sir Michael and Luther Wenge on your side with James Yali soon to join NA. PNG politics is most colourful during the election of the prime minister. The fiercely fought horse trading, cloak and dagger moves of stealth and suspense in smoke filled rooms, MP lock ups, hopping in the wrong bus, getting nabbed in the spooky Parliament corridors, MP look-alikes running off with money bags, the list goes on, yet all that drama costing millions of kina and weeks of intense lobbying goes to waste in the minute that matters when the prime minister is elected. Our politicians write a script that rivals Hollywood when it comes to formation of government. I just hope Peter O'Neill, Moses Maladina and other independents are in Kokopo to test the waters. The game is not over until the fat lady sings. God bless PNG.

– John Kross
Port Moresby
SOURCE: http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20070806/mohome.htm (06-08-07)

Picking up the shattered glass (prt 1)

Coming to terms with a break-up is never easy. Its can be a slow and painful process and
you may never fully recover if you don't take the time to heal and acknowledge the pain and hurt.Clutch Magazine has become a great source of information for me of late (hint to the New Age Woman Crew to have a look through for themselves) and I couldn't pass up this post by one of their male contributers.Although the story is from a male perspective the healing process is the same for both genders.

Picking up the shattered glass: Part I
Wednesday Aug 1, 2007 — By Zettler Clay

Top five things to come to grips with after a heartbreak with your loved one:

1. If you have been lied to, mistreated, or just blatantly disrespected by a loved one, then you must realize first that, IT WAS NOT YOUR FAULT! People are in control of their own actions, and there is nothing that you can do about it. Absolve yourself of the blame for the other person’s action. Rid yourself of the notions that you are inadequate or inferior. Those are lies. What happened happened, and a new page begins.

2. ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR FAULT IN THE SITUATION. This may sound contradictory to the prior tip, but it’s not. In a relationship, people compromise. They look the other way on stuff that are sure red flags. There is no such thing as not seeing something coming. There are ALWAYS cautionary signs when dealing with other people. Recognize the signs and understand that there are always areas that we can improve on. Learn from mistakes.

3. PRAY AND KNOW THAT TIME HEALS. Meditate. Embrace Yoga. Do whatever it is that cleanses you of all the turmoil that you are faced with. Know that time is on your side. In other words, get spiritual and let nature heal.

4. SEEK SOUND ADVICE. Do not – I repeat – do not repress the hurt that you are going through. This isn’t to say that you tell the whole world, just a close crew (3-5 people). Be careful of who you tell. Solicit advice from those who have gone through similar situations or those who have transcendent mindsets (i.e. very, very mature individuals).

5. GET OUT AND DO SOMETHING. This is – if not the most important - an essential task that we must undertake in dealing with hurt. Go to Six Flags. Go out with the girls or the homeboys that you’ve been putting off while you were in the relationship. Go shopping (assuming you have the funds, not advocating debt). Spend more time with family. Meet new people. Date. Disclaimer: Following this tip and forsaking the other four tips on this list does not constitute as a way of dealing with your grief. All five must be done to optimally piece together what was broken.

for the full article visit: Picking up the shattered glass: Part I

Throwback Track: Wyclef Jean - Gone till November

I must've been 13-14 when I first saw this song on MTV jams. I loved the Fugees so of course any song that came from one of the members had to be worth a listen. He's accompanied by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (not sure if this is the same one used in the video) in the song and features Bob Dylan in the music video, this was the fourth single off his first solo album The Carnival.
The song has sentimental value for me...the theme of being away from loved ones for long periods of time while you're on your "hustle" reminds me of my own situation. Being away from my Other, my families in Auckland and Port Moresby and not being able to see them till the end of year break in November. The other reason I love this song is the soulful melody and catchy chorus.
My other personal favourites by him have to be Guantanamera ft Celia Cruz & Lauryn Hill (off the Carnival 1997), 911 ft Mary J Blige & Perfect Gentleman (off The Eceftic: 2 sides II a Book) and Two wrongs ft Claudette Ortiz. I'm tempted to post those vids up as well but I'll save that for an Artist Spotlight post.

Artist Spotlight: M.I.A

Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam aka M.I.A is back with her 3rd album entitled Kala (named after her mother). The Sri Lanken born artist,singer,rapper is the daughter of a Tamil activist Arul Pragasm. Her second album Arular is named after him.

The album largely produced by herself also features productions but Switch, Diplo and Timbaland and features Timbland, Afrikan Boy (on Hussel) and Willcannia Mob (on Mango Pickle Down River). He songs range from the conscious track 20dollar to the fun funky track Come around featuring Timbaland. M.I.A. has cited the album as "shapes, colours, Africa, street, power, bitch, nu world, and brave." SOURCE http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2030991,00.html The official first single was Boyz and Jimmy is the official second single is set to be released on 13th August.

Stand out tracks for me : Mango River Down Pickle ft Willcannia Mob, Come Around ft Timbaland, 20 dollar.

Quick post

I walked through Mount Victoria tunnel today. All I could think about as I walked what felt like 1km (it was really 623m) was my mother. She is very claustrophobic and the small walkway would have her in a right fright. The sides of the tunnel curve very close to the top of your head as you walk the pedestrian ramp and the further you walk through it the further away the other side seems. All you hear is the whooshing sound of cars as they drive by and all you feel is the heat generated by the engines of the car. The walk way is grimy to say the least and the walls littered with pieces of graffiti. I chuckled to myself as I walked through it again at this one thought : if we got hit by a sudden earthquake all of us in that tunnel would probably die but I think I'd die happy. I turned up my i-pod and quickened my step, although I'd die happy, I'd rather today not be that day.

TRIVIA about the tunnel:

During World War II, the government planned to use the tunnel as an air raid shelter if Wellington were attacked. However, the plan was scrapped as the tunnel was thought to be too vulnerable to assault from either side by hostile troops.

A well-known local story revolves around a murder that occurred during the construction of the Mount Victoria Tunnel. A young woman named Phylis Simons was murdered by her lover, who buried her alive in the fill from the tunnel. It is suspected that the girl was pregnant to her lover and the story was later covered in the Wellington newspapers. Upon learning of the murder, police ordered workers to excavate the tunnel's fill in order to find the victim's body.

The tunnel is well known in Wellington as being the location of "the beeping game", in which motorists sound their horns as they go through the tunnel, often in response to the tooting of other drivers. This is particularly popular after 5pm on Friday nights. SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Victoria_Tunnel

Wifey,Baby Girl,Side piece or Jump off?

This post on Clutch Mag Online had me thinking in circles (and in a slight panic). After I read it I sat there thinking I wonder which one I am. Is this true for all guys? Have I been sooo caught up?

A man has 4 different types of women in his life…

1.Wifey. Wifey is the sexiest, most successful and most respected of all the women. She is loved, needed and wanted by her man…she is VIRTUALLY IRREPLACEABLE. She is the girl that the guy loves and will always love, he never wants to see her with another man…BUT he will cheat on her with Baby Girl until he is mature enough to realize that if he gets caught or fcks up in any way and loses Wifey, he would be screwed, and NEVER be happy again.
2.Baby Girl. Baby Girl is ALWAYS just as hot as wifey and usually has a very active social life…she IS replaceable, thinks she’s the next Wifey, but there will only be Wifey. If an extreme disaster takes place. Baby Girl gets some of the benefits of Wifey, like quality time every now and then and even presents on birthdays and holidays, but that’s as far as it goes. The main reason to have Baby Girl is in case Wife really really f*cks up, she can be replaced in a matter of weeks because Baby Girl has been groomed to slip right into her spot.
3.Side Piece. Side Piece, usually a female that the guy uses only for sex & other pleasures, she is usually the one that he goes to for that three-some or some late night head after the club. When Wifey is acting up and Baby Girl is at work, the Side Piece is usually the one to hold him over for a few hrs. He can meet with the Side Piece for reasons other than sex, but normally that only happens one week during the month.
4.Jump Off. Jump Off…every man’s dream and worst nightmare. She is trying to move up in life, wants to be a Side Piece or Wifey but doesn’t know how to go about it. They are just the girls he hollas at when he is with his boys….she is usually stored in the cell phone by a nickname because he barely remembers her real name and where he met her…he only recalls how fat her ass was

Now, I pride myself on being the wifey, but have I subjected myself to becoming the Jump off? Yeah, I answered the phone and let him come over at 2:30 a.m. (after the club) a few times, well more than a few times. But, if you want it are you playing yourself? Or are you getting yours? Now your smile has went from Cali to Florida in 3.5 seconds.

Is it possible to redeem yourself? Is there a way to go from jump off back to wifey status with the same guy or do we tastefully move on to the next with hopes that this one “may be the one ya’ll?

For the full article visit : The Jump Off-pump,pump,pump,pump it up! by Shantel Brown

First of the Month

This isn't a post of that classic Bone Thugz and Harmony song (although I am tempted to put the vid up...maybe I will...later). We are now three quaters of the way through 2007 and I am a couple months shy of finishing uni (YAY!). I was also born in August so I'm gonna be biased and post a random fact about the month. (this is also a classic example of me playing Gatekeeper here but what the heck)

August is the eighth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. August begins (astrologically) with the sun in the sign of Leo and ends in the sign of Virgo.

This month was originally named Sextilis in Latin, because it was the sixth month in the ancient Roman calendar, which started in March about 750 BC under Romulus. It became the eighth month either when January and February were added to the beginning of the year by King Numa Pompilius about 700 BC or when those two months were moved from the end to the beginning of the year by the decemvirs about 450 BC (Roman writers disagree). It was renamed in honor of Augustus in 8 BC because several of the most significant events in his rise to power, culminating in the fall of Alexandria, which fell in this month.

August originally had 29 days in the Roman Republican calendar, but two days were added to it by Julius Caesar beginning 45 BC giving it its modern total of 31 days. August's flower is the gladiolus or poppy, and its birthstone is the peridot, sardonyx, or sapphire.

SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August