#070 Oil be right mate

Graphic designers. Every brand recovery managers worst nightmare...

#069 Ditch the pitch

To be honest, my stomach churned when the 'There's nothing like Australia' tourism pitch was introduced in March.

There's nothing like 'insert country here'.
Uniquely 'insert country here'.
There's no place like 'insert country here'.

Wow. Groundbreaking stuff.

Well to round it all off, some bastard got paid more than I'll make in a lifetime to make this 90 second clip that was 'revealed' (in a 'slip over in a puddle/skirt around your head' kinda way) today. Essentially, a moving collation of tacky 90's Australian istock clips, to the tune of twangy Australians, singing a song (that well could have been written by an eight year old), about themselves.

*throws hands up in air* Just genius.

#067 Photobooth mask

Hahaha, this photobooth mask by Mark Pernice brought the lolz.

#066 Days with my father

It's funny how sometimes you stumble across something that is so relevant to your own life, you begin to wonder whether you're in the driving seat.

My mum's not well, I've come back to NZ to be with the fam, have already started collating her best recipe's into a wee gem of a cookbook, and my mind is filled with so many more must-do things to get down all the hilaaarious pieces of gold that make her who she is over the coming months; on top of just....hanging out.

Philip Toledano's 97 year old father had short term memory loss, after his mother passed away and him having to tell his father she'd 'gone to Paris for a while' everytime he asked where she was, he started documenting his visits.

A cute, honest, hilarious, beautifully photographed and written tribute to the last three years of a vigorously charming mans life.

www.dayswithmyfather.com

#064 PSD

I see what you did there.

#063 Thanks a bunch

Leah Dieterich's mother always told her to write thank you notes. So she does. To everything.

I tried to do this ages ago when Oprah started bleating about writing down things you were thankful for on a daily basis (back when I was a try-hard middle aged woman). I found I'd have about a million when I was boozed but would get real blues when I couldn't think of anything past Blue Powerade and Bacon Egg rolls/Eggs Bene when I was hungover.

Jump to thxthxthx.com

#062 Mac Book Book Book

I remember seeing these Book book cases a while back and salivating all over my Semi Permanent ticket. Handmade one of a kind leather hardback velvety soft interior goodness for your Macbook. I even contemplated a new mac just so I could get one and now I'm in the market for a new lappy I ACTUALLY NEED ONE!

*fist pumps*

#061 Diamond eyes

Still beating my dick drum like it owes me money (in a crywank emo kinda way).

#060 Checkpoint Charlie

Oh god. Just when you thought the world had dried up of things to make a dubstep remix of...

#059 Notre Jour Viendra

Not surprisingly after a constant stream of undercurrently dark music clips, the anticipation for Romain Gavras' debut feature film has him buzzed as the next big thing. Already from the teaser you can tell there's that dark, uneasy rawness teamed with amazing cinematography that he's become so well known for.

Notre Jour Viendra (Our Morning will come) was originally named Redheads (Oh god not again with the Gingers Rom) with a sales synopsis that reads :

"What do you do when you're a red-haired teenage loser with no friends except for an older guy, your shrink? When everyone hates you, especially your family? When all your peers make fun of you and kick you around? The answer: you and your loser buddy blow all the cash you can get your hands on to buy a sportscar, you dress smart and you head for the land of redheads, Ireland. But what starts off as a search for an ideal, gradually escalates into a rampage of hate, violence and self-destruction."

*rubs hands together*

(Maybe not worksafe if you work for psycho's/a government department, there's boobies.)

#058 Driving me Loco

Yesterday I was trapsing through a friends facebook photos trying to judge her new boyfriend (he apparently Rulz and is lovely/amazing) and as I got the background story I found out he ran a rad little customised bike gig in Melbs.

Not surprisingly, if I was living in Melbs I'd be in Fitzroy (little Wellington) and I'd be more accustomed to lo-riding my ass everywhere as apposed to fixie pixie-ing around for sure. I have zero ass surface area which proves to be an issue. (First documented Fixie backflip here in Japan on the weekend P.s.)

If you're in Melbs check out Locolowriders, get a base and start customising, it'll be sorted by the time summer gets there and I hear on good authority the guys are lovely/amazing/etc...

#057 Up there

In a world of pixels and pantones, choosing a gruellingly labour intensive solution to visual advertising creative seems sooooo ridiculous.

This short film about large-scare hand painted advertising in New York makes me happy that even though it might seem nuts, there's still people working their passionate asses off making sure the result of such a dying artform is still feasible. Even if it is cheaper and faster to print on vinyl...

#056 Ga ga ooh la la

Well I'm glad I can stop arguing with my dad over whether Gaga has a penis or not, THAT conversation started getting old. It was bad enough trying to think of burnt toast in my first week back, where dad piped up everytime an advertisement for 'The perfect vagina' documentary popped up on TV...

Although, I'm not sure I'll be telling him about the 'proof', Times of London columnist Caitlin Moran's report on her Berlin sex club VIP toilet experience, where Gaga pee'd through her fishnets/'offloaded some of those whiskeys' at a Berlin sex club.

This article makes me wanna party with Gaga so bad...

#055 Secret wall tattoo's

Apparently Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age has being secretly drawing throughout the various hotel rooms he’s stayed in whilst on tour for years, the premise being simple; remove mirror/picture - draw pic (preferably Dali-esque and child like while under some sort of influence) - replace mirror/picture.

Turns out it's catching on. www.secretwalltattoos.com

#054 I love Wellington weather.

#053 Le Fonze

You'd think in this day and age you'd be able to buy anything on the net.
Think I can find Fonzie socks? No.

#052 The little things

I just applied for my iPhone replacement after losing it, AGAIN. Last time I lost one, I borrowed my flatmate's Blackberry, and managed to lose that within 3 days (Sorry Amy).
Not only did I have to deal with the Vodafone guy giggling on the other end of the phone when I barred my number (like ACTUALLY giggling about how many times I'd lost a phone in 12 months - oh yes, there was many a cheap nokia scattered in there while waiting for replacements) but when making a police report, the police woman on the other end of the phone lectured me about getting a man bag.
I stopped myself at letting her know how many man bag's I'd lost and hung up the phone with my tail between my legs like I'd let down my mother.

So in light of using my $49 dollar nokia in the meantime, I've decided I'm actually enjoying not having the interboon, checking emails every five minutes, having to google something mid conversation to make a point clearer, and have been embracing looking up as I walk along the street and noticing a hell of a lot more than I did before.
(Admittedly I go to use my phone and 'pretend to be fossicking in my bag for something while I text' cause it's so unnattractive.)

Stumbled across this charming animation by Christian Borstlap (which is up for a D&D award) that reminded me about the little things.

(God, who am I kidding I hope my iPhone arrives soon I'm dying.)

#051 There's something about Annie Clark

Nothing like an informal jam with the aim to record an album in a day, especially when covering some of the best albums ever created. And a bonus when there's 'no intention to 'add to' the original work or attempt to recreate the power of the original recording. Only to play music and document what happens.'
Jump to Record Club

This wee gem with Lead Vocals by Annie Clarke (who I LOVE) from St Vincent, a cover of INXS's 'Need you tonight' from 'Kick', tastes like hot chocolate...

#050 Love & Theft

This totally reminds me of the day I got wasted at a house party and spent a whole hour trying to convince people the Garden Gnomes were 'dancing and digging to the music'...

#049 My parents were awesome.

This is my Dad and his mate Maggie with 1 million dollars worth of weed in the 1970's. He was a cop, I was fat, and I used to tell people my dad would lock up their dads if they didn't leave me alone, which seemed to work quite well, until we got old enough my dad being a cop in small town NZ turned into the reason I'd get hidings.

So when I discovered this photo of a bust in the 70's in my dads photo box, nicked it and took it to school, my life got a whoooole lot more awesome.

'giz another look bro?!' 'yeah wait on bro' 'Phwoooooar, that's the most buds I've ever seen aow!!' 'million bucks worth' and they'd be like 'he smoke it all' and I 'd be all 'COURSE EGG WHAT D'YOU THINK' and slip it back all cool into my desk...

myparentswereawesome.tumblr.com

#048 I'm sorry. Maybe you weren't Listening...

Ahahaha oh man, this has to be the most genius kiwi PR response to misinformed journalism I have seen in a short turnaround, in suuuch a long time.

After announcing a proposed alignment with Virgin Blue, the NZ Listener reported Air New Zealand (our 'quality' airline we're so very proud of) was to 'downgrade' their short-haul services and go 'determinedly downmarket' on it's Australian and Pacific routes.

This morning Air New Zealand's CEO Rob Fyfe released this wee piece of PR genius and will be putting his credit card behind a bar in Auckland tonight with hours of giggly high fiving reminiscent of a sales department making budget...

#047 Don't turn around (cause you're gonna see my heart breaking)

I know, I know. Not like it's news that Indomie Mi Goreng noodles are THE epitome of GET IN MY BELLY snackery ever invented on the planet (think Sarah Silverman Baby Bell love).

Remember the day you first tried them, fell in LOVE, spotted them in the supermarket afterwards and looked both ways when you discovered you got five packs for under three bucks like it was some SICK JOKE and shuffled ten packs into your trolley before they could change the sign back?
I do.

Two packs at a time x a million servings later, the fateful day where my Mi Goreng love affair came to an abrupt halt, I casually turned the pack around and read the nutritional information while they bubbled away, and my heart sank lower than the day I discovered my best mate wasn't actually gay.

17 GRAMS OF FAT PER SERVING.

I feel like I've been decieved and lost a good friend/deleted them off facebook.
Meanwhile discovering I may as well have been eating 2 KFC thighs, 2 pieces of Pepperoni pizza or a bacon double cheeseburger all along...

#046 Wanna be on top?

Maybe you're as naive as me, and thought Tyra Banks surely couldn't get any more annoying, or full of herself (bar eating her own FACE), but we were wrong. Oh boy were we wrong.

Tyra's publisher Delacorte Press have just announced her signing a deal for a series of fantasy novels on...wait for it...the 'world of modelling.' And wait. It's called....'Modelland'. Oh, and in case you don't know how to pronounce it, Tyra's website tells us it's pronounced “Model Land”. Phew, thanks Tyra. Tell us more, what exactly are these novels by Bankable books about?

""for all the girls and guys who want a lot more FANTASY in their lives and some fierceness and magic, romance and mystery, crazy and wild adventures, and yeah, some danger too."

*looks into space and smizes*

Of course the stories of the 'intoxibella's' (totally serious) showcase 'issues ranging from relationships to body image and empowering women of all ages.' Well of course they do. We all know the Tyra Banks show gave young women 'the 'girlfriend' they want to hang out with and the role model they needed', so now you've stopped your show, how are the lost young women of the world going to survive?!!!

#045 Do not be scared

I love scoping round Etsy.com and mentally high-fiving crafty folk making money from making cool things and often get jealous I'm not doing the same.

Stumbled across Paul Revie's etsy page this morning, a signwriter and graphic designer who makes vinyl on glass boxes filled with 'had to be there moments', each with an eccentric stream of consciousness mental fart about where they came from.

(much like this really.)

#044 Wanna see some Michael Jackson moves?

1984 in New Zealand, I'd just been given my first stonewash denim jacket (only to lose it at a blue light disco) and while the rest of the world tried to emulate the dance moves of one Michael Jackson, we too had our cardboard boxes and lino thrown down rewinding the moves of our homegrown MJ - The guy from the Poi-e video.

After being back in NZ for less than a week, mid-grieving about leaving Sydney, I finally went to see Boy and after being hit with Poi-e in the opening credits, I realised it was exactly the 88 minutes of slap in the face 'roots bro roots' therapy I needed.

Taika's new remixed vid (cut and sliced in a day) with scenes from the original Patea Maori club clip and Boy is the perfect blend of 1980's NZ, , and with NZ Music month in full force, the challenge to try and get Poi-E back to No.1 in the NZ charts by christmas is in full force.
Crazy horses for life.

(Maybe this time we'll all learn the words instead of just going hard out at the "Poooooi-eeeee" bit.)

#043 Marina Abramovic made me cry

Normally I can't sit still for any longer than five minutes, even watching a movie often stresses me out, unless I'm so hungover my limbs have decided to pack it in and I'm crunched into the foetal position.

This morning I stumbled across this series of portraits on tumblr Marina Abramovic made me cry, taken during Yugoslavian artist Marina Abramovic's exhibition 'The artist is present' at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. Known for her quirky performance art installations (based on stillness, silence and endurance) Abramovic sits in silence, and invites visitors to sit opposite her for as long as they choose.

Some batshit crazy people have apparently become addicted and have returned so many times security guards know them by name. Not sure if I feel like it's crazy, or sad, that it takes an performance art installation to remind humans that sometimes you just need to stop, reflect, and god forbid maybe try and connect with another human...

#042 ♥

I see what you did there.

#041 Ugg Boots

UGH boots.

Seems as though not much has changed with the Hutt Valley Mall Rat brigade since I've been living in Sydney. WHY do chicks continue to wear Ugg Boots in Public. *shakes fist* Surely you all got the memo about Pamela Anderson not even wearing them anymore when she discovered they were made from SheepSKIN instead of 'being shaven kindly' (honestly aye)

Unless of course you're this chick.

In which case, you're awesome...

#040 Goodbye eggs bene

After a *cough* 'long lunch' on Friday (my first day I might add) all of a sudden it was 4am Saturday morning and I was already getting quiver lip'd about brunch. Quick nap and a 'where am I' moment later, I realised that Fidels was on the cards for brunch again now I was back on Wellies and did a wee internal fist-pump.

Couple of flat whites/durry combo's later, we go to order eggs bene and 'Fish on bubble and squeak with tomato and Hollandaise Sauce' comes out of my mouth.

Oh. My. God. Who would have known that in that split second my life would have got a whole lot more amazing.

Fish on Bubble and Squeak with hollandaise sauce for the hungover brunch WIN.

#039 Backstage pass

Last month my dad got a tattoo on his arm and I was hell jealous that he'd beaten me to it, so I'm back trawling the net with tattoo's on the mind and stumbled across this real ooosh series of portraits by a Belgium artist Fab 5.
Jump to his flickr.

#038 Japanese town logos

If there was a support group for people 'bordering on obsessive behaviour towards a good symbol' I'd be totally be president.

And someone would show me these Japanese town logos on cards at the end of my rehabilitation period with wires attached to my body to measure a response...

#037 Weng Weng

Ah, excuse me? HOW HAVE I NEVER SEEN/LOVED/BEEN CREEPED OUT BY THIS AMAZINGNESS BEFORE.

#036 iVictrola

Yeah yeah, form follows function n all that jazz, but listening to amplified mono is totally worth it when it looks this radical.

There's no plugs or gimmics, the iPhone horn (a 1902's Magnavox horn that amplifies the sound through a walnut box) by Matt Richmond delivers enough sound to fill a room. And looks RAD.

#035 Splendour ticket mania enduced server meltdown

Ever wonder what the Moshtix website's face would look like if it was a person?

#034 Hair

One time when I was a kid and bath's were all the rage, my uncle came to stay the night and mum had to vacuum the bath after he'd gone hahaha.

I remember my dad coming in and going 'Jesus! who shaved a bear in here?!!' and me laughing for about a year...

#033 What the fuck should I make for dinner?

www.whatthefuckshouldimakefordinner.com

Dinner ideas stripped down to their barest form. Genius.

#032 Sweet treats!

Another side project by the Frankie girls released today is their Sweet Treats recipe book. Following the success of Afternoon Tea (classic recipes from a collation of people's mums) Sweet Treats is another journey back to when sprinkle covered marshmallow filled icecream cones and candy hearts would make out eyes light up like the icecream truck tune.

Melt in your mouth Mint Patty's (like nanna used to make), Honeycomb (crush and sprinkle underneath chocolate mousse before it sets - got that from a Come dine with me episode where the lesbian made it for desert and the staunch christian woman who believed being a homo was wrong found it necessary to talk about it every five minutes, and by the end of the programme had admitted she'd 'lived with lesbians at uni', didn't wear underwear on the third dinner night and got smashed showing everyone how to pole dance on a door frame - it was fucking excellent) and Toffee Apples (these freakin blow kids minds) just to name a few...

Jump here for stockists!

#031 Oklah-oh-my-god you have to be kidding me

Ok, so my friend Amy sent me a link recently to a blog post by Luke Ryan from Melbs, about new strict abortion measures introduced in Oklahoma. and I haven't stopped getting my knickers in a twist about the lack of empathy and compassion needed for someone to think this is ok.

"The Oklahoma Legislature voted Tuesday to override the governor’s vetoes of two abortion measures, one of which requires women to undergo an ultrasound and listen to a detailed description of the fetus before getting an abortion.

Though other states have passed similar measures requiring women to have ultrasounds, Oklahoma’s law goes further, mandating that a doctor or technician set up the monitor so the woman can see it and describe the heart, limbs and organs of the fetus. No exceptions are made for rape and incest victims."

Oh. My. God.

Cheers for making the abortion process even MORE traumatic and scarring than what it already is, and putting a safety mechanism in place so no-one can ever go for an abortion by accident without realising they actually have a FUCKING BABY INSIDE THEM.

Pretty sure they're already onto that one assholes.

#030 Personal bubble

My family's such a hug/touch/small of back cradle kinda affair but the whole personal space bubble's still rampant and we still have issues with people who smell.

Funniest thing about Richard Renaldi's series Touching Strangers (where he approaches two or more strangers and asks them to pose for a photograph touching each other) is that you'd be forgiven for thinking a lot of these people actually knew each other...

#029 GILLES ET DADA Campaign

Awesome new shoot for GILLES ET DADA. Jay Tweedie likes.