the personal life of pamela minett

Ivan and Mika

2011-05-02T19:30:00.000-07:00

So I have these two beautiful people in my life called Ivan and Mika.

Ivan is my best friend and life partner.

Mika is our baby.

Head over to www.mividacontigo.com to read about our adventures.

head on over

2009-12-07T14:56:00.000-08:00

oh hi there!

head on over to www.aboyinourcloset.com... it's my new blog that I share with some other cool crazy cultural and creative cats. wordpress is just so cool.

unless of course you are wanting to read about my time in laos and bangkok. then please read on...

Don't do it

2009-08-24T21:21:00.001-07:00

“A meatball sundae is the unfortunate result of mixing two good ideas. The meatballs
are the foundation, the things we need (and sometimes want)…The sundae toppings
(hot fudge and the like) are the New Marketing, the social networks, Google, blogs
and fancy stuff that make people all excited. The challenge most organizations face:
they try to mix them. They attempt to slap new marketing onto old and end up with
nothing but [failure].” Seth Godin in Meatball Sundae

Coffee and technology?

2009-07-26T22:15:00.000-07:00

This morning as i was purchasing my morning coffee, i thought once again about the potential for technology in this space. But I was torn/confused about it's place.

So it would be really easy for me to text in my coffee order from my desk on my way downstairs, with an estimate of when I'd be there ie. TrimFW Pamela 2mins.

A very clever system could then figure out what coffees should be made when, and viola!

Pros:

no waiting in line
the system could apply some intelligence ie. i (pamela) order a coffee every morning at 9am... maybe it would eventually text me (trimFW 2mins?) and i could just reply y or n and voila!
the cafe would have my cellphone number and could tell me about special deals/offers etc and ask me questions about my experience (if i agreed to this of course)

Cons:

has my human-interaction-time been reduced? is this a bad thing? i'm not sure. i think it is
cost of running a system like this?

I'm sure there are many more cons... probably namely, do the benefits (cost benefits mainly) outweigh the cost of setting something like this up?

Are cellphones/texting the best option? could we then pay for the coffee using our cellphone? could it be included in our phone bill? coooooool.

i'm just wondering :)

Humpday

2009-07-11T04:09:00.000-07:00

Rainy weekend = International Film Festival. And since the awesome crew at yMedia gave me 10 free tickets for my birthday, I'm totally (for the first time ever) going to make the most of this year's festival.

Starting with Humpday.

9pm, Skycity Theatre, my date: Matthew, happened to be sitting next to: Anthea, snacks: none

Two guys. Both of them straight. One of them is married, and the other is a 'free spirit', traveling the world. They're best friends from way-back who haven't seen each other in years.

The free spirit shows up on the doorstep of the married guy at 2am on some idle Wednesday.

A few drinks and conversations later, they decide that they're going to have sex.

In the name of art.

...

Humpday is the ultimate bromance movie. Uncomfortable? Yes. Weird? Yes. See it? Yes.

things i am learning

2009-05-25T04:36:00.000-07:00

2. a good bed is worth investing in. so is a good pillow and good sheets and a warm duvet.

things i am learning

2009-05-02T16:41:00.000-07:00

1. Never be late to work. ever.

2009-05-02T16:35:00.000-07:00

2009-04-05T21:56:00.000-07:00

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” – William Arthur Ward

(Action point for myself...)

Holly, Hannah, Jack and cheap booze

2009-03-11T23:16:00.000-07:00

They were kissing and some drunk people were taking photos.

Brian and I were in Bucket Bar - the only bar with more than 10 people at it. I'd guess there may have even been 100 people here.

If you hadn't already guessed from the name of the place - drinks were served in buckets. Perhaps a good indication of the attitude towards drinking here... the more the better. The bar offered free whiskey shots on arrival and then 20,000KIP for a bucket of whiskey and coke. 20,000 KIP is like... a dollar.

We didn't need whiskey, but figured in the spirit of things.. why not?

Brian carried our bucket through the crowds of messy, drunken tourists - each of them so inebriated that they are completely unaware of (or just don't care) how messy and drunken they look. I followed and we settled down on one of the less-busy 'platforms' that were scattered around this open-air bar. You're meant to take your shoes off and sit down, so we did.

We watched people dancing and commentated on how amusing they look. It's pretty funny really. It made me wonder how peculiar I must look when I'm dancing. I like dancing though... I don't want to think about how weird I must look.

Oh, yes those two kissers. So they're sitting on the platform next to us. Two girls - one of them super skinny and one of them rather stocky. The skinny one is mega boozed and notices us sitting alone. 'Oh god... don't come over' I pray.

"Hi what's your name?" She asks in an English accent, putting out her hand.

Shaking it, I say "Pamela".

I introduce Brian too and she seems thrilled to meet us.

Her name is Holly "like holiday but without the day". Ah... I wasn't sure.

We chatted for a while until a song she liked came on. She squealed and jumped up and said she'd be back soon.

I turned back to Brian who was just being approached by bar staff guy offering another free shot. Seriously? They were giving this stuff away like water...it must have been pretty damn awful. We declined his kind offer (with nasty hangover in mind) but he poured some into our half-full bucket anyway.

He can't have been any older than 20. He was skinny, strikingly blonde and very tall with a piercing on his lip about 1/3 of the way along it.

"How long you worked here?" I asked.
"As long as I lived here." He said.

Ohhhhhh kay. Obvious next question...

"How long you lived here?" I asked.
"Bout 2 months. And then before that I was in Vientiene for 10 months." He said.
"Doing what?"
"Living. And I plan to stay here for 10 years."

Cool. I tried to get a bit more out of him but other than his name (Jack), he turned out to be completely boring. He had no intention of doing anything here other than live and drink and work in a bar. Each to their own... but trust me... Vang Vieng would not be my living place of choice for TEN years with an ambition like that.

I must apologise because I have a poor recollection of the order of events that followed, eventually leading to the four of us (Holly, Hannah, Brian and myself) hanging out in Han and Holly's bungalow til 2 in the morning and then having them walk Brian and I to our respective accommodations after ordering tuna baguettes from a sidewalk vendor (not the safest food choice at that hour). I wish the story got more exciting here... but it doesn't. There was no overly exciting drug abuse or authoritative intervention or drunken debauchery... sadly.

I nodded 'hey' to the two cockroaches I shared a house with, curled up on my bed and dozed off to the increasingly loudening choir of crickets and roosters.

2009-03-10T23:14:00.000-07:00

"The mark of an immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one." (From Catcher in the Rye).

Playing by the river

2009-03-10T22:55:00.000-07:00

This pretty much sums up my time in Vang Vieng.

We read books. We slept. We swam.

Oh and we hired bikes and visited a lagoon. There was no-one else there except these two young boys. One of them had a mask on and would stick his head underwater and walk/swim around until he found something. When he found something, he would jump up and down and yell and make a big noise. He would then emerge with a small fish in hand and throw it up the cliff to his friend/brother waiting on the grass. The fish was always thrown too far and would land with a 'THUD'. The other boy would run to it, pick it up and add it to their stringed collection.

Brian and I were fascinated.

Hunting for fish.

Showing us their kill

Vang Vieng is...

2009-03-09T22:52:00.000-07:00

Pancake and fruit-shake stalls
Restaurants playing reruns of Friends, The Simpsons and Family Guy
Opium, mushrooms and marijuana
'Tubing'
Internet Cafes
Travel and tourism companies
Construction

5 and a half hours

2009-03-09T19:43:00.000-07:00

So 5 and a half hours in a small mini-van along treacherous windy roads lined with steep cliffs is not my idea of an enjoyable way to spend the day. Nevertheless it had to be done I suppose and I have my iPod to thank for 3 things:

1. Keeping me entertained for 5 and a half hours
2. Keeping my mind off throwing up for 5 and a half hours
and 3. Drowning out the sound of the driver's wife throwing up 5 and a half times along the way.

The only good thing to come of the trip is meeting Brian, this pretty low-key guy from Modesto (North of San Francisco) who is on a 3-week holiday from teaching English in Bangkok. When he first got in the van (in Luang Prabang) I pretty much attacked him with questions. And so he's 27 (although I didn't find this out til later) and he lives in a small apartment in Bangkok with no kitchen! He hasn't seen his family in 2 and a half years and clearly misses his 8 year old niece.

Anyhow, he was feeling pretty awful from the drive so after he had sufficiently answered my 40 questions, he curled himself up on the seat and I plugged in my headphones.

***

Arriving in Vang Vieng was not what I expected. Although I couldn't describe what I was expecting.

It's much smaller than Luang Prabang. The streets aren't as well kept, the roads not as wide.

first impressions of Vang Vieng

Goodbye Luang Prabang

2009-03-08T19:31:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling much better today. Nathan, Kim and the school kids left at 5am and I didn't set an alarm for myself. I woke feeling pretty well rested at 7:30am.

It feels strange knowing I have the entire day to myself.

The temperature in the mornings is quite bearable. Nice even. But by midday the sweat starts beading on my chest and back which is quite... Gross.

I spend the day roaming the streets.

I stop at JoMa, a delicious bakery, for lunch. Afterwards, I check out Ock Pop Tok, a sustainable community development project that also aims to advance the cultural, social and artistic development of Lao artisans and their traditions. It was started by an English photographer named Jo. I want to speak with her, but she is busy with someone else for the whole (very long) time that I wait around.

In the evening I meet with Graham and Bua for a beer on the river and then delicious pizza for dinner at the Scandanavian Bakery.

I'm leaving in the morning. I can't help emphasising how impressed I've been with Luang Prabang, the Seuang River Project, Graham and Bua and everything in general. It's been so incredible, I'm even a bit nervous for the next part of my trip as the standards have been set pretty high...

Smiling happy faces

2009-03-07T04:04:00.000-08:00

Cultural Inadequacy

2009-03-06T03:39:00.000-08:00

"The wisest man that ever was, when asked what he knew, replied that the one thing he did know was that he knew nothing."

They spoke in that horrible London accent that you hear in the movies. They smoked 3 cigarettes indoors, ate messily with their hands, burped, kicked the cat and drank beer. They were pudgy, stocky and shouted at the restaurant owners.

There is a term used to describe these people but I forget what it is. I was thinking of Chav, but no - I don't think that's it. They remind me more of those soccer hooligans who don't even look like they should be associated with soccer.

Anyhow, I talked to them because we were the only people in the restaurant and I was eating alone.

Maybe they were actually really lovely people deep down. Somewhere. But on first impressions I found them near unbearable. I was embarrassed to be speaking with them. They disliked everything about South East Asia and were not afraid to let it be known to all.

I really don't like foreigners who enter a new country and demand to have everything their way, in their language and to their customs.

Thanks to my philosophy book I found consolation from Montaigne:

"Every man calls barbarous anything he is not accustomed to; we have no other criterion of truth or right-reason than the example and form of the opinions and customs of our own country. There we always find the perfect religion, the perfect polity, the most developed and perfect way of doing anything!"

Homo sum, humani a me nihil alienum puto.
I am a man, nothing human is foreign to me.

2009-03-05T21:51:00.000-08:00

"Nothing was, nothing will be, everything has reality and presence."

Aches

2009-03-05T03:09:00.000-08:00

I can barely stand up without grimacing. My head hurts. My stomach aches. It feels as though my blood has turned to thick gluggy mud and is weighing every part of me down. I don't feel like doing anything. My body feels fat and swollen.

This sorta sucks. I'm in this seemingly exotic, foreign, exciting place with so much to explore - and the only thing I want to do is lie down in my air-conditioned room, throw-up, sleep and perhaps watch some western television... (cartoon network if I could choose).

I'm having some stomach troubles. I'll spare you the details, but I'm really not managing to hold much down. I try though. And I sleep a lot. For the past couple nights I've had at least 9 hours each night, with a couple of naps during the day.

My diet has been:

7am: thick black coffee. baguette with jam and fried egg.
12:30pm: sticky rice and meat/veges
6pm: same as above with variations on the meat and veges

The sticky rice is really sticky. When I heard that people ate rice with their hands I had pictured a very inconvenient mess of rice grains falling onto laps and spilling onto tables. It turns out the rice is so sticky that it's actually quite inconvenient to eat it with anything but your hands.

I'm in Luang Prabang now. We said goodbye to the village and are now staying in the main town. It's gorgeous here. Apart from the dustiness and the grey skies, it is a beautiful French colonial-feeling wee place. (Not that I've been to France. I am just imagining).

Things move in 'Laos' time. It's like Island time. (Not very fast). It's peaceful. There are nice bakeries and coffee shops. At night time everything is lit up with fairy lights and it feels magical.

Thankfully it's no full-moon-party-tourist-town though - everything shuts at about midnight :)

the quaint streets of Laos

and at night time

This morning we left on the 'trucks' at 7:30am, headed for the Elephant park. About half an hour of dust in my eyes and listening to 14 kids singing 'Bingo' made for a very grateful Pamela as we finally arrived at this sanctuary for elephants.

I ride with Nathan, one of the teachers. He's about 27 years old and plays saxophone (or maybe the clarinet... or maybe both... I forget). He teaches in Dubai but also gets some extra cash from playing gigs.

On the elephant ride he is hilarious. He is genuinely terrified and I laugh hysterically at his comical display of fear.

I cannot help but think of how much these elephants must have been tortured. Like literally they must have had their souls beaten out of them to be like this. So placid and unaware. Graham tells me that they never forget though. I hope for their sake that they do.

me on an elephant!

My view

****

And so I want to go for a run but there is no way. My body just will not let me. I actually just napped for an entire hour and I swear I feel worse for it.

Maybe I need to break my 'rule' and just take some Panadol already.

Death by fire

2009-03-04T21:26:00.000-08:00

I ran again today and it was hot. My skin burned and I felt cold.

Everyone here showers outside - which is awesome - except they don't like to show their bodies. Women wear these long full sarongs (to shower in!) and the men wear shorts. They're very modest people.

Toilets are another thing-to-get-used-to here. It's definitely no Singapore Airport that's for sure. It's all squatting and what-not - and the family who's house that we're staying in is pretty wealthy so they have a really nice ceramic toilet and all. But we went to visit the high school yesterday and there are about 450 students who attend and there are no toilets for them. They just find a spot in the forest/bush/lake around the perimeter of the grounds.

It's dark right now and as I write this (in my journal) there are 3 little Lao children watching me intensely. They are so intrigued by my writing.

There are about 40 children here. We're sitting outside and there's a bonfire going. I can hear giggles, laughing, shouting, screaming - all the sounds of kids having a generally delightful time. 23 of the children are around 12 or 13 years old. They are from the Dubai American Academy (DAA) and are the school group that Graham is taking around as part of the Seuang River Project for 6 days.

The rest of the kids are between 4 and 10 and are from the local village that we are staying in.

One of the DAA kids just spotted a huge insect on the wall of one of the buildings. I know this because the scream she let out was not the scream of a child playing games, it was the scream of a child who had just spotted a bug that looked as though it could potentially endanger the lives of small children and animals. It is the size of my hand. It has grasshopper legs. It has...wings.

So naturally, screams spread pretty quickly and before long there are about 23 children yelling, screaming, running, pointing and generally just creating a big scene. And in the middle of this chaos, the smallest of the Lao children - a little 4 year old boy - walks through the screaming crowd right towards the bug on the wall. He carefully climbs onto a wooden bench, stands on his tiptoes and takes the bug into his hands.

All madness breaks loose. The DAA kids are in shock. They are screaming for their lives as though this child has just pulled the pin on a hand grenade.

The kid is so confused and I can't help but feel sorry for him. He looks around at the screaming faces and pointing fingers. Then he looks down at the bug that he is clutching in his hands. Slowly and deliberately, he clenches the bug in his right hand and then with his left - he pulls off one of the huge giant grasshopper legs and lets it fall to the ground. Then he does the same with it's other leg.

The DAA kids are still screaming. Their faces must be red and their lungs must be aching. I think my jaw drops a little with slight disbelief at what I'm seeing.

Maybe the kid thought he was saving the day by slowly murdering the insect in front of their eyes. Not so much.... so he resorts to what must be plan B.

As he walks, the crowds of children part for him. He walks to the bonfire and throws the insect in. Then he gets back to his playing as though nothing has happened.

Incredible.

I chuckle as the DAA kids continue to scream and I get back to my journal writing and entertaining my own audience with cartoon pictures and English words.

Some of the gorgeous children playing by the fire :)

The Seuang River Project

2009-03-04T06:30:00.000-08:00

So this will be my second night here now. I'm so pleased that I came - I'm learning lots from Graham and my opinions and understanding of Poverty are changing and being shaped by my experiences.

My first impression, or observation, so far, is that the people in these villages (well, the ones we've seen so far) are happy, shy, gentle and polite. They spend their days farming, teaching, learning, playing, building and socialising. There aren't any huge drug problems. They have a river. They have farm land and forest. They have buffalo and pigs and chickens. They eat very sticky rice, vegetables, chili paste and a bit of meat. The children run around in small packs and are much smaller for their age than you would expect and I wonder why? The 8 year olds look as though they are 5. And the 5 year olds look as though they are 3.

To be honest, the first thing that glared out to me was the pollution. I asked Graham about it and he pointed out that right now they are a small population so the problem is a small one. You can see where that one is going... when the population grows, so too will the problem.

It's unbelievable. They have this 'out of sight out of mind' type psyche. They collect rubbish from their yards and homes and dump it into the river. I mean, I'm not sure what they're meant to be doing with it... perhaps that is something worth looking at. Education, obviously, being a starting point.

And so the other main issue that Graham mentioned is access to adequate health care when they need it. People don't look sick and diseased, but if they get sick and diseased then it is mega expensive for them to get help. (An ambulance to the city or whatnot).

The Seuang River Project is the name of what Graham is running here, and it's incredible. It's hugely beneficial to the communities/villages. Each day, Graham is directly employing around 20 people from the villages to do things like cook, tour guide, drive etc. The students who are here are from the Dubai American Academy and are paying a bit to be here - which goes directly to the village for their serivces (accommodation etc). The children have also brought donations (books, toys, clothes) that are to be divided up amongst a few of the schools/villages.

It is totally incredible to see the children playing together - their common language is laughter and football and nothing else seems to matter.

Miss ANNE MINETT

2009-03-03T06:12:00.000-08:00

"Miss ANNE MINETT" read the sign that the driver was holding when I arrived in Laos.

He was cute. Probably barely old enough to drive and didn't speak a drop of English though.

We jumped into one of those ute-turned-tuk-tuk-esque-taxi vehicles that they drive here in Laos and took off. His driving was slightly more conservative than what I had experienced in Thailand, but his odometre swung violently between 0 and 160 the entire way, so I really had no idea how fast we were going (and neither did he!)

I attempted to speak with him, but he really had no idea. So I sat silently, ecstatic that I was finally in Laos if not 2 days later than planned.

I suppose I was expecting the drive to be around 10-15 minutes. Maybe 30 minutes at most. Which is why after we had been driving for more than an hour, I began to feel a little confused. I definitely wasn't nervous though. I think that the joy of finally being in Laos outweighed any concerns of where I actually ended up for the night. (!)

We're on dirt road and the drop to my left is uh.... deadly.

We stop. He rolls down his window and shouts inquiringly at this old lady on the side of the road. She is old and fat and yells back at him. They shout at each other for a while and then, disatisfied, he drives off.

I don't even know what I'm expecting. Maybe a giant building/headquarters? A big hotel? It looks unlikely. We've been following this dirt road for a very long time and have only seen dirt, river and small huts.

We pull into a village and my driver hops out and walks off. Are we here? I don't know and I don't care. I snap some photographs until my driver returns with an air of confidence that he was really lacking previously.

Back on the road.

Before long we spot a group of children on the road. They're not locals. As we get closer I spot a white guy with a wide brimmed hat. We slow down to pass.

"Graham?" I ask.

"You must be Pam - Welcome!"

He has an extremely warm, gentle manner and I feel immediately relaxed and relieved. He introduces me to his wife (I'll need to double check on the spelling of this..) Bua, who shows me to the house where I will be sleeping for the next few nights.

42USD

2009-03-03T06:10:00.000-08:00

I have to pay for a visa to get into Laos.

And the Canadian Passport is the most expensive of all. $42USD, plus an extra $1 because it is a weekend.

Yikes.

Starbucks

2009-03-03T06:05:00.000-08:00

Bangkok airport at 8:30am is like a shopping mall at Christmas time.

I can barely bring myself to admit this...but I'm sitting at... Starbucks.

I'm so embarrassed, in fact, that I keep glancing around nervously in case I see someone I know. It's pathetic, I'm aware of this. But my options are limited. I'm hungry and I cannot stomach the thought of minced pork rice porridge. So I sheepishly slide into Starbucks and choose a croissant and a small americano and try to be invisible amongst the obvious American tourists.

My Asian Fitness Haven

2009-03-02T05:45:00.000-08:00

My alarm went off at 6am.

This is OK though, because I fell asleep at 7:30pm. I probably overslept.

I'm back from my run and I am shivering. It's probably about 36 degrees outside and 70% humidity. Did I drink enough water yesterday? I cannot remember. My skin is hot to touch but I am really really cold.

I take a shower. I lie down and drink about a litre of water.

The run was well worth it though - I wouldn't take it back for a second...

After running for about 15 minutes along the sidewalk of a very straight long road, I had been wondering if people here exercised. I hadn't seen any joggers or walkers. Not that I expected to - but I just wondered.

Then all of a sudden, a park came into view on my left and and no shit it looked like Central Park in the middle of summer. Walkers, joggers, people stretching, practicing yoga, Thai Chi, you name it - they were probably doing it. I veered left and entered the park. Anything to get off the road, and this clearly looked like the place to be exercising. I was grinning like a fool.

I spotted some young men coming past in running singlets and shorts. They were setting a good pace so I settled in about 10 paces or so behind them and kept up as we weaved through through this large recreational paradise.

I could even hear music playing somewhere. Wow. We need more of these in NZ! I was on this super dorky high, being surrounded by so many fitness fanatics. It was like some freaky Asian fitness haven designed just for me. Seriously. I was loving it.

And then that's when I noticed the photographer on the grass. I smiled and he snapped a photo.

Then someone overtook me and he snapped their photo too.

Another guy overtook me and being somewhat slightly competitive, I picked up the pace a little. They were going pretty hard and it annoyed me. 'Jeeeeez, it's not a race!' I thought. Just as it became glaringly obvious that it was a race. And I was smack.bang. in the middle of it.

WTF?

Who has a race event with no race numbers?

We approached a drink station. Oh what the hell.. I grabbed a cup and kept going.

I could hear cheering and the music was pretty loud now. We turned a corner and there was a long straight lined with photographers and crowds cheering.

Oh fuck.

Embarrassing? Amusing?

I couldn't decide... I was naturally leaning more towards embarrassing whilst still trying to see the funnier side of the situation.

People were photographing me. They were clapping for me. Reaching out their arms and cheering for me. How.the.fuck. did I end up here? I must have been so caught up in following those guys I didn't even notice the rest of the walkers/joggers fade away as we were clearly on the 'race track' now.

I couldn't help laughing now. So I was grinning madly, pouring with sweat, sprinting my little heart out and waving to the fully asian crowd.

Fuck, maybe I looked like a celebrity?

We turned another corner and there it was. The finish line. The finish line surrounded by media-type, officials and more runners/crowds. I couldn't bring myself to cross it.

Avoiding eye contact with anyone, I jumped over the little barrier onto the grass and sprinted off in the opposite direction. It would have looked hilarious to the people watching me. They maybe thought I got frightened or something.

I made it home in about an hour and 10 minutes and my clothes are hanging up by the air conditioning. They are drenched.

I feel a little better now.

130km/hr

2009-03-02T05:41:00.000-08:00

I cannot be 'present' when the taxi driver is driving. I must shut my eyes. It is the only way I can endure it.

Nobody indicates. It's madness.

The car shakes at 100km/h ... so why does he drive at 130?

White.

2009-03-02T05:31:00.000-08:00

So the place I'm staying at is 3 months old. It's called the Airport Residence and Spa (for future reference). None of the staff speak English except for the manager and even then - I'm sure she doesn't understand half of what I'm saying the way she nods and smiles so much.

I think I'm the only person here. It's nice, but.

I take a cold shower. My room is big. And cool.

I change into some shorter shorts and a smaller singlet, I drape my camera over my neck, chuck 200 Baht into my pocket and stroll down the stairs outside.

The air is suffocating. It's thick and heavy. The sky is dark grey. Rubbish lines the streets. I stand with no purpose on the sidewalk, casually glancing left and right. To my right I notice some activity so I wander over.

Looks like a night market.. I smell food and the sun is low... probably around 6pm.

I feel completely.out.of.place.

I feel strikingly and uncomfortably white. And tall.

It's like everyone is staring at me. Well it's not like they are.. they actually are. I must look ridiculous. A gigantic white skinned girl with short shorts, jandals (flip-flops), sunglasses and a huge camera. What the fuck is she doing here? There are no other tourists in sight. No other white people at all actually...

But it turns out to be somewhat amusing. They like the camera. And they like my reaction to their pigs heads and dead fish and funny children. I (nervously) photograph a small child who has fallen asleep on a table next to a display of dead fish for 20 Baht a plate. The parents(?) laugh kindly and smile. I relax (a little).

Lost in Bangkok

2009-03-02T05:12:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty relaxed when it comes to travel.

So relaxed, in fact, that I forget to write down the name of the hotel I am staying at in Bangkok. No problem though. I have the address and about a million people or so offering me a ride. I ask a Thai girl if she speaks English (OK - I lie... Jake asks the Thai girl if she speaks English). She does - and she's a local.

"Take taxi outside. Fastest and cheapest way." She tells us.

So Jake helps me outside and into a taxi and looks somewhat concerned as I drive off in my taxi.

I'm not going to lie. I'm sorta scared. I don't recognise anything. I want to see something familiar and I feel pathetic because of this. Harden up P... you can handle this, it's not like you're in the middle of nowhere. You're in fucking Bangkok, a tourist MECCA.

So to make myself feel better I start conversation with my driver. It's hard because he understand nothing, but likes to pretend he does as he laughs and nods. So I think we're having a conversation but then soon I get blank stares. It's annoying and hard to maintain with enthusiasm.

Oh oh! I just saw a Nokia sign. It made me feel better. Safer. How peculiar...

I decide to ignore the irritating worried voice in my head and I start absorbing the sights.

Half an hour passes and so now I'm not sure what is more amusing/devastating:

That we have just driven for more than 30 minutes in the wrong direction.
That my taxi driver had to get out of the car and use a payphone to call my hotel and ask for directions
That we are now in standstill traffic with over 300 Baht on the metre already
Or that in our (very) broken English conversation, I still can't work out whether my taxi driver has 3 wives or 3 daughters. (Likely both).

Above it all

2009-03-01T05:06:00.000-08:00

I keep thinking how strange it all is. Countries and the like.

How every country has it's own currency, culture, rules, language, customs etc. And the airports are like the gateways into these different worlds. And then how each city/country must operate as a part of the wider context (the world). OK, I know this is uber obvious... but it's still fascinating.

Flying always gives me this odd feeling of being 'above' it all. And 'seeing' the way the world is put together.

It should be compulsory for all young people to travel. As soon as they leave school they should be put into a global travel/personal development programme. Experience different cultures, customs, etc. Work in a different city. Live in a different city. Volunteer. Experience less than what they are used to. Experience more than what they are used to.

Jake

2009-03-01T04:57:00.000-08:00

I meet Jake in Perth. (From Melbourne, we were flown to Perth and then from Perth we were flown to Singapore)

Jake is a pilot for Tiger in Singapore. Originally he's from this place just outside of Melbourne on the coast - he's a surfer. Cool.

Jake reminds me of a friend - Nick Harris - and so I instantly take a liking to him. It's funny how that happens, when someone reminds you of someone you like, you tend to like them too. Even if they just look the same! And likewise I suppose if they remind you of someone you don't like too much then that can be unfortunate.

So he's a pilot. He trained as a pilot as soon as he left high school. I can't imagine being a pilot. Already having been in transit for 48 hours or so, I just want to be grounded for a while. I look at the air hostesses and imagine what a feeling of permanent suspension/transience they must have. Are those the right words? I'm not sure. But it sure must feel weird.

Utopia in a transit lounge

2009-03-01T04:47:00.000-08:00

I'm in Singapore. More precisely... I'm in Singapore airport. It's been 48 hours since I arrived at Melbourne airport and I've still got another 4 hours til I finally arrive in Bangkok.

It was meant to be a 9 hour flight. Thanks JetStar... for nothing.

This place is like nothing I've ever seen before, except perhaps on television or in my vision of a utopia. It is eerily calm and pleasant. Everything works. It's really as though every action and movement I'm going to make has been pre-thought of and planned out.

The bathrooms are nice. I like clean bathrooms.

The staff in this place are robotically polite. The sky-bus between terminals is timed perfectly for my arrival to the platform.

The carpet is mesmerizing. The music is meditative.

The rooftop has a pool but it costs $13.91 so I don't swim. I am hesitant to spend money. Also there are free movies playing in the 3 (yes..three) cinemas - one in each terminal. But I do not like the look of any of the movies so I don't watch any.

Internet is everywhere and it's free.

In summary - this place likes me and so I like it in return.

Hell

2009-02-28T21:35:00.000-08:00

So there must be about 90 people in the same situation as me right now.

I'm hanging out in my very own sterile hotel room. Mini soaps, mini bar, massive big screen TV, a view of the airport and a huge wall mirror reflecting the loneliness in the room. It's odd how I can be in such 'luxury' (it's at the Hilton) and it feels so close to what Hell must be like.

These people are all waiting to be somewhere other than where they are right now, but time keeps on moving forwards. It's hard to be present when the present is in between where I was and where I want to be.

I think I should write. I can't. I think I should read. I can't. I don't want to do anything. So I sit. Then I swim. Then I eat. Then I sit again. I want to get on a plane and keep moving!!

I was on time.

2009-02-28T21:25:00.000-08:00

I arrived on time to the airport.

But alas - their computer systems were down. So I ended up waiting in line for around 2 hours. Well, rather Nick did (thanks Nick), while I dashed around the airport getting some last minute things done (money exchanges, passport photos for visas, good coffee...). Traveling in twos is so much easier than traveling alone for this very reason - you can get so much more done.

So I was on time. And then time slapped me in the face and decided this was what it would do. 49 hours of being in transit. That is a lot of time to think.

2009-02-02T02:04:00.000-08:00

"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future"

Steve Jobs

2009-01-30T05:52:00.000-08:00

My new home for the next 5 weeks :)

Fear of death

2009-01-28T02:50:00.000-08:00

My computer is gradually getting slower...and.... s..l..o..w..e..r.

I live in fear that it is going to die soon.

I don't know what to do about it. Perhaps I should replace it now, before it dies. But somehow I just can't bring myself to do that.

Wedding bells and thank God.

2009-01-17T00:30:00.000-08:00

So how I find myself photographing weddings, I don't know. Well, that's a lie, I'm sure I could figure it out. Try the following formula:

Take a little bit of 'Oh you've got a nice camera', mixed with 'oh so you take nice photographs?', add a little bit of 'yeah, I've photographed here and there', and apparently you've got yourself a wedding photographer!

The dramatic, life-changing experience began on a mild, Wednesday afternoon. OK so it wasn't life changing. And the temperature was much warmer than mild. I was, however suffering from a mild head-cold at the time, so my senses and perception of events may have been slightly heightened, skewed, etc.

I was to be shooting at a Wedding Rehearsal in preparation for the Big Day. The 25 minute drive out to the venue in Kumeu was made more tolerable by the fact that I managed to fit in a 90 minute surf before the rehearsal began.

The rehearsal went swimmingly. Gorgeous venue. Took some nice shots. The vows and things were to happen outside in the early afternoon sun... so my only concern was the shadows. I couldn't find my flash - it seemed I had left it 7 hours away back home in Wellington... The Wedding planner informed me that in the unlikely event of rain, the formalities would be moved indoors. I put all my energy into those two words 'unlikely event'. And prayed for sun.

Sunday (The Big Day)
I awake and I have a headache. It's Sunday and my alarm is singing to me, so it must be around 9am. As I come into consciousness, I notice the sound of falling water. Is someone in the shower? No... as I rub the sleep from my eyes and kick my covers off in frustration, I realise it is raining outside. Did I say raining? I meant fucking pissing down with rain. If I squeeze my eyes shut, maybe I'll vanish into a different time and place. No such luck. I drag myself out of bed and mope around the kitchen for an hour wondering what.the.fuck is the best thing to do.

It's 10:30am. I call Jade. She's creative, got a camera and is usually up for random activities suggested by me at stupidly short notice. She agrees to come help! Snap: First smile of the day.

I think hard about the flash and where it might be. My brain returns fuzzy hazy unclear garble and suggests to me that I go back to sleep. I ignore my brain and turn to Google.

"where can i buy a cheap pentax flash in nz?" I ask it.

It tells me there is something for sale on Trade Me, but it turns out it's not what I am looking for. Go figure.

The wedding starts at 3:30pm. I tell Jade to meet me there at 3pm. I get there at 3:20pm.

As I get further out west, the rain stops. The clouds don't look so heavy, and the sun begins to shine through them, giving a splendid 'studio lighting' type appearance to the day. I just hope they didn't make the call already to move everything inside!

They didn't. The Wedding Planner greets me with enthusiasm and asks me if the light is OK. I cannot stop grinning... it.is.unbelievable.

Sudden interuption by my mobile phone reminds me to switch it off... but I check the text message just before I do. It's from Mum: 'found flash.'

Sigh. Chuckle. Smile.

I heart Ginger

2008-08-07T22:00:00.000-07:00

Ginger is amazing.

Stimulates Digestion
Naturally Freshens Breath
Relieves Nausea, Including Dizzyness from motion sickness
Helps Lower Cholesterol
Relieves Gas and Bloating
Soothes Common Cold Symptoms, Including Respiratory Infections
Eases Menstrual Cramps
Relieves Headaces
Helps Stop Diarrhea
Believed to Have Anti-Cancer Properties

an experience in hypnotism

2008-08-07T21:41:00.000-07:00

How I found myself sitting in a reclined chair listening to a man with a south african accent telling me to "breath in and out... I'm going to count down from 5" is a long story.

I suffer from severe nocturnal bruxism. In other words - I grind my teeth in my sleep. Apparently I'm not alone - according to Wikipedia, 30 to 40 million Americans grind their teeth during sleep.
So I've seen SO many people about this. I've been to the dentist, who gave me a mouth guard, which I ground down. And I've been to the doctor. I've been treated with massage therapy and chiropractic care. I've been at a loss at what to do next...

Then it hit me... hypnotism! Surely because it happens in my 'sub-conscious' there would be something in hypno-therapy that would cure me.

So my good friend Lauren accompanied me to the hypnotist's house. He spent an hour talking about his political and social views (a South African living in NZ) before spending 12 minutes talking me through a meditation ("hypnotism") where he repeated affirmations and relaxation instructions. He then burnt it to CD, "treated" Lauren for her nail-biting, performed a few magic tricks (i'm not joking), then I paid him $75 and we left.

I'd recommend Yoga and Meditation over hypno-therapy any day...

Awards!

2008-07-27T16:20:00.001-07:00

Adele and I (Pamela) attended the Computerworld Excellence Awards at Sky City on Friday night and were quietly stoked when we didn't win the Youth ICT Award as neither of us had prepared speeches...(pathetic I know). The two that did win it (Shane and Craig Smith for Language Perfect) spoke so well that it was pretty much destined to be that way for the sake of the audience.

So I kicked off my shoes, relaxed at my table and chilled out a little. The couple next to me were from Meridian Energy and it was interesting to hear about the sustainable ICT project they have just implemented. The food was served and it was amazing. Adele and I always order one of each of the mains and then eat half and swap.

But no sooner had I wiped the beef jus from my chin, Frankie Stevens (MC) was announcing yMedia as one of the finalists for an award not on the programme. Gasp. Sure enough, the winners of the Judge's Choice for Best Value was yMedia. Lights flashing. Music *pumping*. Cameras on our table. I'm scurrying to find my shoes under the table and pick the meat out of my teeth and straighten my hair and flatten my dress and arghhh so we are on stage. And we thank everyone we can think of. And I do a plug for our blog and our competition. And they laugh us off. And it's over. And we are holding a 2.5kg solid metal trophy that looks like a famous award of some sort.

Awesome. Thanks Computerworld :)

every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.

2008-07-05T01:12:00.000-07:00

Sam and Tessa left on Thursday.

This is Sam and Tessa, on Muriwai Beach.

Last Anzac Day Weekend.

I met Sam in 2006 whilst studying at Media Design School.

We both drank coffee (well, he drank mochas at the time... he has since upgraded to flat whites) and during a photography project, we bonded at a Gravity Coffee bar in downtown Auckland. That was the beginning of copious amounts of caffeine consumed in the company of Sam O'Leary. And the beginning of a life-long friendship.

Sam is one of the most talented people that I know personally. I owe a lot of my good grades to the hours of help that Sam gave me in the late hours of the day, in the dim, lonely and insistently too hot or too cold computer lab on level 11.

I met Tessa at the food court in the IMAX complex, a few months after I had gotten to know Sam. I was nervous to meet her. Because I was associated with the work that was keeping Sam from returning home for dinner at a sensible hour - I was sure she would hate me.

Alas! Our brilliant minds collaborated on a cryptic crossword that I was struggling to solve when she arrived to meet me, and before long it was undeniable that we were two souls destined to be mates for life.

Tessa is one of the most beautiful people I have ever met. Ever. She has a way of being that makes me and everyone who knows her fall in love with her over and over again. She looks stunning in a dress. She has a contagious and delightful laugh. She has the eyes and lips of a 50's fashion model. And she has the most inclusive and unconditional love for her friends that I have ever known.

And that is my story of Sam and Tessa.

Through Sam & Tessa I have also come to meet many other amazing people.

An inclusive but not exhaustive list:

Sam's mother Clare O'Leary - an incredibly well-connected master of all things social and women in tech/media/film/web - who played a crucial role in the early development stages of yMedia.
Andrew Mackay (and his gf Shannon)
Joseph Bryce
Robin Kerr

And so Sam and Tessa moved back to Wellington at the end of 2006 after we finished studying. Tessa became the manager of the After School Care at Brooklyn Community Centre and Sam got a job at Karactaz (and yup he did their website).

We managed to see each other at least every few months. Wellington is only really a $120 return flight from Auckland. Or a very long bus ride.

For the past year or so, they have been longing to get out of NZ. And now, after copious amounts of money, drama, anticipation, tests, medicals, forms, anxiety, tears, discussions and excitement... Sam and Tessa are 3 weeks away from being in their country of destination: Montreal, Canada.

I farewelled them at the international airport on Thursday. I haven't cried in a long time. A long time. And just when I was beginning to think perhaps I was an emotional mute - incapable of feeling love, hurt, happiness or anger - my eyes erupted tears onto Tessa's shoulder as I hugged her bon voyage.

Upon reflection, the tears were not just tears of sadness. My tears were of happiness and excitement and anticipation for them and their long journey ahead. My tears were for the end of the last leg of their life journey and the beginning of their next. My tears were of pride and love for all they had achieved and made happen in order to be boarding this plane.

Enough of the cheese.. I'll save it for my pizza.. but just one last quote:

The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.

Sam & Tessa Explain their Idea

2008-07-05T01:04:00.000-07:00

The following movie is of Tessa explaining the cool travel idea that we are going to do (one day).

The gist of it:

3 couples (or more).
Start in a country in Europe (for example).
They then must creatively make their way (in pairs) to their next destination.
Everyone meets there. Shares stories, adventures etc. Hang out in the new country for a while. Then change partners to travel to the next country.

Like the amazing race. But without the millions of viewers. Or the competition element. Or the 'same partner' thing for the whole time.

Let Tessa explain:

Sam & Tessa Farewell

2008-07-05T00:16:00.000-07:00

Kimya

2008-06-26T17:43:00.000-07:00

It's 3pm and I'm rushing to Wellington airport.

It's raining - so the plants are getting fed and the lakes are getting full.

The sky is grey - so I remember the dorky quote that is on the inspirational calendar hanging in my bathroom that my Grandma bought us for Xmas last year: A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition. And I smile.

I am to be arriving in Auckland at 5:15pm. 2 hours after my friends arrived from Christchurch to meet me. I hate being late... but it seems to be inevitable at this point.

I arrive in Auckland to find it still raining. And I am greeted by my beautiful friends Sam and Tessa. They are en route to Montreal to become WOOFers (google it) for a wee while and then settle down and hopefully have wee french speaking babies.

They bought me tickets to see Kimya Dawson because it is my birthday on Thursday and because we all like Kimya Dawson.

The only problem for me is I am having a hard time being really present to all that is going on. I have a presentation tomorrow that I do not feel prepared for. I shush the voice in my head and try to focus.

So Sam, Tessa and I are collected by our other beautiful friends Kylie and Jordan. Jordan is driving their recently repaired motor vehicle. Which is evidently not so repaired as it chooses to crap out on the motorway. With 5 people crammed in along with Sam and Tessa's entire life possessions, Jordan managed to stay calm and collected and guide us along the motorway shoulder with hazard lights blinking and arms out windows etc etc. I actually filmed the whole thing but looking back, there were some expressions of frustration that probably don't need to be shared with the world. So imagine the hilariousness/stressfulness of it all if you will :)

So I spent much of dinner sucking on edamame, talking on the phone and working on my presentation - much to the disgust of my friends (and myself). We did, however, manage to squeeze in a good chat about Spore.

The Kimya Dawson Concert was everything I didn't expect and more.

It was held in the Auckland Girls Grammar School Hall... possibly the least intimate venue imaginable and Kimya reminded us of this with frequent comments like 'i feel like i'm back at school doing a recital' and 'i'm nervous'. Humbling!

The gig opened with a very enjoyable show by 'The Teacups'. A cute indie/anime trio, one was full Indonesian, one was half Indonesian and one was no Indonesian. Their music made me want to dance and open curtains to bright sunshine and cook breakfast.

Followed by a french dude who I think was Kimya's husband.. (?). He told us he was brought in to 'break up the cuteness'. Which he did successfully... end of story.

And then finally Kimya tiptoed onto stage... and put me into a world of big trees, animals, sleeping bags and pillows (i forgot i was in an auditorium...and i forgot about my presentation).

Unfortunately for the teens sitting behind us, Kimya didn't play 'Loose Lips' until the very end - the teens had to leave early to catch their ferry. This was also unfortunate for half the crowd who were probably waking up early for school the next day, were getting collected by parents, or who had fallen asleep on their parents lap in the duration of the night.

We left happy. And Kimya told us she wants to come back to NZ and play in our houses in the spring and have barbeques. Unlucky for Sam and Tessa who will be in minus 20 degree weather in Montreal...

Kylie, Tessa, Jordan and Sam outside the concert venue.

the yMedia Challenge 08 OPEN

2008-06-13T18:01:00.000-07:00

the yMedia Challenge 2008 is now open for registrations...

The yMedia Challenge is a competition connecting tertiary students with community groups through media and technology to create a new or leverage an existing low-cost digital presence for the community group.

So pass this on to community groups, non-profits, tertiary students, tertiary institutions, small businesses, large businesses, friends, family -www.ymediachallenge.co.nz

The yMedia group are also offering 2 different workshop series, one aimed at non-profits and community groups and the other aimed at tertiary students. Find out more information about these workshops on the Challenge website: www.ymediachallenge.co.nz

Sponsors this year include Microsoft, Telecom, InternetNZ with other industry members (supporters) including Terabyte, IBM, Chrometoaster, Xero, Silverstripe, APN Digital Media, GardyneHolt and Creo.

How to make money

2008-06-09T16:32:00.000-07:00

SilverStripe kindly share their secret with us...

Some pictures from the weekend...

2008-06-02T19:07:00.000-07:00

Our weekend began on Thursday with a gorgeous VIP event at Park Road Post.

Park Road Post = Amazing... and I was stoked to hear from Marcelino Ford-Livene's girlfriend (I'm SO sorry... your name escapes me??) that all their LA friends will be uber-envious that they got to wine and dine in Peter Jackson's studio ;)

Would have been nice to have name-tags at the pre-event.. but nevertheless Adele and I managed to get in some great conversations with some very cool people. The amazing people who attended XMediaLab as speakers and mentors:

Tom Duterme
New Business Development, Google (Mountain View)

Sam Morgan
Founder, Trade Me (Wellington)

Chris Adams
New Media Pioneer; Co-Founder, Participant Productions (Los Angeles)

Brian Seth Hurst
CEO, The Opportunity Management Company; Vice Chair, Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (Los Angeles)

Suresh Seetharaman
Founder and President, Virgin Comics and Virgin Animation (Bangalore, New York)

Chris Deering
Chairman, Codemasters; formerly President of Sony Computer Entertainment
–Europe (London)

Noah Falstein
President, The Inspiracy (San Francisco)

Hugh Mason
Partner, Pembridge Partners LLP (London)

Marcelino Ford-Livene
General Manager, Interactive Content, Services and Advertising Development, Intel Digital Home Group (Los Angeles)

Richard MacManus
Founder and Editor, ReadWriteWeb (Wellington)

Sean Kauppinen
Vice President, TriplePoint (San Francisco)

Jason Roks
Emerging Technology & Digital Distribution Analyst (Toronto)

Alvin Wang Graylin
CEO and Co-founder, mInfo Inc (Shanghai)

Rod Drury
Founder and CEO, Xero (Wellington)

Meg Pickard
Head of Communities and User Experience, The Guardian (London)

Xin Chung
CEO and Founder, Vykarian Studios (Shanghai)

Helen Baxter
Managing Directrix, Mohawk Media (Auckland)

Marcia Lyons Programme Director of Digital Media Design, Victoria University of Wellington (Wellington)

On Thursday night after the opening event a group of us (Noah Falstein, Xin Chung, Rory Kent, Chris Adams, Keren Flavell, Adele and myself) went out to Chow - a fantastic restaurant in Wellington that serves a 'fusion of Asian cuisines'. We followed this with a visit to Matterhorn (106 Cuba Street, Wellington) where we finished our night with a few amazing bottles of wine (Thanks Rory...:) ) and some delectable treats... cheese, chocolate, bread, pears... oh yes.

Friday (bright and early!!!) was spent listening to speakers talk about idea generation, designing ideas, turning ideas into business and then celebrating successful businesses. Around 150 people (or more?) attended this event at TePapa and the feedback I have been hearing has been extremely positive - great value, great speakers, great content etc etc.

One (minor) issue for myself was the lack of internet access in the conference room... made it hard to blog/email - but I managed to find another room in TePapa that gave me easy wireless access :)

The weekend (Saturday and Sunday) was designed as a 'workshop' environment for 16 start-ups to get some extremely valuable time with the international and NZ mentors to work through commercialising their ideas and/or taking them to the next stage. Each group had 3 minutes to present their idea to everyone on Saturday morning and then scheduled times with the mentors of their choice throughout the day on a large white-board.

Adele and I weren't participating in the workshops, but we hung around and took stole opportunities to chat to the mentors and take some pictures for Megan.

Here are some pics...

Suresh Seetharaman working with one of the groups:

Noah Falstein working with one of the groups:

Chris Adams working with one of the groups:

The iStock team and Rod Drury having lunch:

Noah Falstein and Tom Duterme serving their lunch...

SIT UP STRAIGHT AND PAY ATTENTION

2008-06-02T15:55:00.000-07:00

Adele and I have spent the past 4 days helping out at the XMediaLab conference in Wellington, NZ.

One presentation that really stood out for me (but they were all incredibly inspiring) was Brian

Seth Hurst's who spoke about building businesses from ideas.

Brian Seth Hurst is the CEO of the Opportunity Management Company, a strategic consultancy and corss-media production company that is driving the next generation of entertainment. He was profiled in the April 2007 issue of Emmy Magazine as one of the 10 media executives in the business leading the industry's digital drive.

So he abandons the powerpoint and begins his presentation by instructing us all to 'Sit up straight and pay attention.... No seriously. Sit up straight.'

The audience shuffles around a bit, (I make a mental note of my poor posture), and I'm pretty sure he has our full attention.

He goes on to tell us:

Stay in the present.

Time is incredibly valuable.

Expect to fail. Failure is a wonderful teacher.

Act on ideas.

Money should be used like manure... spread around helping young things to grow. (amen)

Life is a sales job and you are a brand.

Every morning when you get up, if you are passionate about your brand and idea, you will not have to chase. Don't let people take away the seed of life that's in you about your idea. The world is at your disposal.

You're going to meet the same people on the way back down as you did on the way up.

Integrity. (Keep it.)

You're never too smart to hear something from someone who you are convinced isn't as smart as you.

Some of your ideas won't work.

If your heart isn't in it - you're not in it.

****

Participation Drama

Brian also spoke about 'participation drama' - more specifically about a certain television series that recently won an international award for it's interactive television service.

Decribed as 'fiction without limits', the drama is titled 'the truth about marika' and follows the disappearance of 'Marika'. This is then brought further into the public arena by a young girl speaking out claiming that the television channel 'stole' the story from her blog. This triggered a whole series of events... constructed events?

Check it out:

Pretty cool. I would liken it to smaller campaigns like the 'Dubble-Agent' campaign in the UK around fairtrade chocolate and the Smirnoff 'Nikolai' campaign in NZ recently. It's essentially smart/clever marketing. The audience/customers become part of the 'story' and it becomes difficult to know what is 'advertising'...

Will talk more about other speakers soon...

ComputerWorld Excellence Awards

2008-06-02T15:53:00.000-07:00

We (yMedia) were very happy to be awarded as a finalist in the Computerworld Excellence Awards a couple weeks ago.

The Awards dinner is in July so we'll keep you posted :)

pizzas

2008-05-12T13:42:00.000-07:00

I made delicious pizzas last night. (i'm modest like that...)

For the record (and maybe for Adele?) here are some of my regular topping combinations (in order of putting them on the pizza). I should come up with names for them.

-tomato paste
-mozzarella cheese (sprinkle some on the before the toppings)
-mushrooms (lots of them)
-chopped olives (lots of them)
-chopped sun-dried tomatoes (not too many)
-mozzarella cheese

-tomato paste
-mozzarella cheese (sprinkle some on the before the toppings)
-mushrooms (lots of them)
-Camembert
-cranberry sauce
-Smoked chicken (or not, to leave it vege)
-mozzarella cheese

-tomato paste
-mozzarella cheese (sprinkle some on the before the toppings)
-dessicated coconut (sprinkle over cheese)
-sliced banana
-chopped mango
-Smoked chicken (or not, to leave it vege)
-apricot/mango sauce or spicy mango chutney
-mozzarella cheese
-natural cashew nuts (sprinkle over just before it's finished cooking)
-natural yogurt (pour over just as it comes out of the oven)

For the bases there are many options... sometimes I use wholemeal pita bread. Sometimes I use turkish bread, or flat-bread. Sometimes I make my own (water, yeast, flour and sugar... real easy).

Cook at 200degrees celcius fan-bake for 10-12 minutes.

what did they expect?

2008-05-08T15:36:00.000-07:00

Ernie blogs yesterday from the Telecommunications Day -

"New Zealand has fallen from 14th to 16th on The Economist Intelligence Unit's annual e-readiness rankings.

Meanwhile Australia has jumped from 9th to 4th.

Given the focus the government has put on the Digital Strategy over the past several years this is not the news we want to hear."

What did they expect?

Community Group Registrations Open!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-04-30T07:08:00.000-07:00

Stay up-to-date with exciting new emerging digital tools.

Engage with young people.

Connect with new volunteers, staff and stakeholders.

Join yMedia - Winter 2008 registrations open now - don't miss out!
www.ymediagroup.org/community

2008-04-29T03:14:00.000-07:00

and so my hero adele barlow is SUPER close to finishing her thesis... :)

and i'm excited for her.

$10,000 to IT Professionals

2008-04-28T16:14:00.000-07:00

IT Rock Star is giving the opportunity for an IT guru in NZ to win a trip to an overseas conference valued at $10,000.

Cool. But why?

putting it in perspective

2008-04-28T00:42:00.000-07:00

When I go for a drive I like to pull off to the side
Of the road, turn out the lights, get out and look up at the sky
And I do this to remind me that I'm really, really tiny
In the grand scheme of things and sometimes this terrifies me

But it's only really scary cause it makes me feel serene
In a way I never thought I'd be because I've never been
So grounded, and so humbled, and so one with everything
I am grounded, I am humbled, I am one with everything

Rock and roll is fun but if you ever hear someone
Say you are huge, look at the moon, look at the stars, look at the sun
Look at the ocean and the desert and the mountains and the sky
Say I am just a speck of dust inside a giant's eye
I am just a speck of dust inside a giant's eye

Great lyrics, courtesy of Kimya Dawson...

more excuses

2008-04-28T00:30:00.000-07:00

and so Facebook now have an INSTANT MESSENGER. (as of April 23)

as if i don't have enough excuses not to do whatever it is i need to be doing... i refuse to log onto msn for this very reason. but the facebook one is so... cute. i'll use it for a while. and then i'll try and figure out how to turn it off.

Interestingly the connection doesn't appear to be SSL so it might be possible for bad guys to sniff any conversations with your friends.

Also - it's not clear how big corporations and businesses will deal with the new chat service as it's so well integrated it may not be an easy task to block without blocking the whole of Facebook.

i miss the coffee in wellington

2008-04-22T19:51:00.001-07:00

one thing i love about our country's capitol is that you only have to walk a few hundred metres or less and you are in the presence of great coffee.

auckland doesn't offer such abundance of high quality coffee or cafes.

and so i have an idea to create a cafe in auckland that sells wellington-esque coffee. it could offer a selection of all the different coffee-beans that one would find in wellington and the customer would have the choice of which beans to use in their espresso.

brilliant!

we'll call it 'capitol' or something.

free.your.voice

2008-04-22T15:52:00.000-07:00

I've been a loyal Jajah user for the last 6 months or so and have great pleasure in introducing a number of people to this wonderful service. Now it's your turn...

Do you use Skype? I used Skype. But I had to download Skype. And then I needed a headset. And then my headset broke. And then I discovered Jajah. And now you are about to discover Jajah.

http://www.jajah.com - what is it?

In my own words, Jajah allows me to call my friends and family phone-to-phone for next-to-nothing. I type in my phone number and my friend's phone number (it doesn't matter if it's cellphone or landline or where they are in the world) and Jajah magically connects my phone with their phone.

In their words, JAJAH is a new type of phone company. We are dedicated to providing our customers with phone calls at a better price. It's that simple. "The internet has touched us all. It's changed the way we do everyday things. It's changed the way we stay informed, the way we shop for the products we want, even the way we find and listen to music. In the same way, JAJAH will change the way we all use the telephone".

JAJAH is dedicated to bringing the world vastly improved telephony solutions at a fraction of the traditional price. We want to provide basic phone calls for free - and we truly believe it's possible. We believe that by bringing together the best of the internet with the best of the traditional telephone industry we will be able to provide our customers with unique new solutions, solutions never before possible, at a price they'll find irresistible.

Unlike other companies that are trying to replace the phone with the computer, JAJAH believes that phones are great the way they are. Phones work. People are not interested in headsets, downloads or hotspots. They simply want to make a call. And we completely agree.

why always the bad stuff?

2008-04-21T02:50:00.000-07:00

i know that whilst we shouldn't live in a fantasy world where everything is wonderful and happy - we also shouldn't be constantly reminding ourselves of how so many things are screwed up.

perhaps if we focused more on the good stories... on the people who are achieving and who are helping to make good out of less-good situations... then it would give people that 'feel good' feeling like one gets when the weather is good. (how many times can i say 'good' in one paragraph?)

i recently spoke with a woman in wellington who has an idea to help young kiwis shine and reach their potential by making it easier for them to connect with funds and/or people who are willing to offer funds. this could have an astonishing effect... currently i feel as though some opportunities for young people are limited to the 'disadvantaged' or the 'super elite/wealthy'. i like the idea that an average person who needs some help to get to the next stage of their life (whether it be personal development, education, travel, business idea, equipment, etc) can apply in a 'no-criteria' space and then people with money who want to contribute to the growth of NZ and help to maximise the positive impact and potential of young people can choose where to put their money and see the direct impact of their contribution.

obviously the idea is in early stages, but i think it's fantastic. i'll keep you (oh faithful reader / darkness of cyberspace) updated...

2008-04-20T16:37:00.001-07:00

"A summit of ideas was always destined to produce a mixture of the practical and the out-of-the-box. But the surprises are joyous. Fitting the latter was the bold proposal from National Australia Bank's chief executive Ahmed Fahour for a government-created, private-sector-backed fund for micro-financed non-profit loans. Mr Fahour, putting money where his mouth is, has backed his own idea by committing $30 million of his bank's cash."

-from the age.com.au re: 2020 summit in australia... cool.

2008-04-16T16:16:00.000-07:00

was at the airport the other night, about to leave to wellington. as always, i wandered into whitcoulls to source some good reading material for the trip. I was actually hoping to grab a copy of steven carden's new book 'new zealand unleashed'. They didn't have it. (what's going on steven?) Brian Sweeny found it though:

"My daily foray into Unity Books at 57 Willis Street has just yielded the sort of book about New Zealand that curls your toes up with anticipation. “New Zealand Unleashed: the country, its future and the people who will get it there” by Steven Carden (with Campbell Murray) is a geo-bio-histo-psycho thriller about the emergence of New Zealand in a pan-global sweep through nature and technology. Rooted in the biological science of complex adaptive systems, “Unleashed” is sectioned into “The end of certainty,” ”How to build a successful society,” “New Zealand’s DNA” and “Ideas for a more adaptable New Zealand.” A sped-up world and how we need to face change are key subtexts."

I might head that way now and pick it up. I suggest you all do the same.

It always makes me laugh though, when i see how many business books manage to get published. "Grow your business" "Be the next Starbucks" "how to spot a good idea" "small is the new big" etc etc. seriously.... ?

Anyhow, onto business. NZ released it's digital strategy draft on monday. I have actually read the entire thing. And I'm not sure what to say about it... I am interested to see what the 'public' says about it (if anything...)

Came across this article the other day. They have a great paragraph defining social enterprise..

Now a new style of “hybrid” technology organization is emerging that is trying to define a path between the nonprofit world and traditional for-profit ventures.
They’re often referred to as “social enterprises” because they pursue social missions instead of profits. But unlike most nonprofit groups, these organizations generate a sustainable source of revenue and do not rely on philanthropy. Earnings are retained and reinvested rather than being distributed to shareholders.

Pretty much sums up where yMedia was at at the end of last year: defining that path between non-profit and for-profit. It's a tricky path... with no legal recognition, it's difficult to be able to define a business as a 'social enterprise'. It's currently very much a buzz-word that various groups throw around willy-nilly (guilty...) It's a very sustainable model however, I mean it just makes so much sense: Take a traditional non-profit organisation... relying on grants, other companies, fundraising etc in order to exist. Their 'reach' goes only as far as other people and organisations are willing to dig into their wallets. If those people or companies decide to cut funding - the non-profit ceases to exist.

Now what if that non-profit could find a way to generate revenue themselves? Not to make wealthy owners/ceos - but simply to be able to stand on their own feet and determine their reach themselves. No-longer are they at risk of sudden extinction. No longer are they waiting on other people to determine whether they are a worthy cause to support. arghhh it just makes so much sense. check out ENP, a vancouver based company that i visited with in january... cool man.

And so that's all for now. I'm in wellington - meeting with lots of interesting and inspiring people. Oh - i'm also presenting at the engage your community conference next week in hamilton. I've been called on last minute because someone pulled out - so i've got all of 3 days to really prepare something interesting... that's what plane rides are for though right?!

p.s has telecom bought the iPhone? anyone?

2008-03-26T16:33:00.001-07:00

http://diesel.adidas.com/83ways.php - coool site by Adidas and Diesal.

NADD

2008-03-26T16:17:00.000-07:00

Gargh! I've just self-diagnosed myself with NADD - Nerd Attention Deficiency Disorder.

Whilst reading this article I followed the instructions to count how many other things I had going on whilst reading it. Do you dare to know?

1. My email account was open.
2. I was uploading photos to my Facebook account.
3. I had 10 tabs open with different articles relating to Cuba, the Zimbabwe elections, telecommunications updates and non-profit grants
4. I had iTunes open and playing the Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind soundtrack
5. I was working on a couple word documents
6. I had another computer next to me with 8 tabs open...
7. I had a conversation going on MSN with a friend in Australia
8. I was checking and comparing flight prices to Wellington

Yeah.... g.e.e.k

global warming and CONFUSION

2008-03-25T21:04:00.000-07:00

how many of my friends are terrified of global warming? lots.
how many of my friends are like 'meh...' lots.
how many of my friends believe it's a conspiracy? lots.

i recently watched Al Gore's wee doco An Inconvenient Truth. Hmmm.. inconvenient indeed! It was a well stated opinion and after watching it, that's all I felt - it was one man's opinion. Because even though he had the 'facts' there from 'scientists' - how do I know that it's accurate information? I'm no scientist! I can't argue or agree on any basis whatsoever! It's super frustrating and so I set about to say nothing to anyone but to read everything I could in my spare time (which is not much... but some)

I found this article today called 'Don't Fight, Adapt.' It says very clearly what has been mulling around in my mind over the past few weeks:

Attempts to prevent global climate change from occurring are ultimately futile, and constitute a tragic misallocation of resources that would be better spent on humanity's real and pressing problems.

Yeah. And so apparently this is actually in a letter written from 100 scientists to the UN. Or something.

A friend who recently returned from the UK told me that he felt NZers didn't care enough about Climate Change. Interesting - when you consider that NZ has the fourth highest rate of suicide
in the world - WHY would someone who hated their own life, give a toss about saving human existence?

I'm not gonna be close-minded to anything, but I'm starting to think that maybe we shouldn't be putting all our eggs in one basket so-to-speak. Yeah we care about our world, but seriously, our world isn't going anywhere - it's our existence that is at risk... lets think about the people.

Ask the public how to run your business

2008-03-25T20:26:00.000-07:00

And so Starbucks has launched a website asking the public for advice.

If you have an idea about how Starbucks should operate, what they should be doing differently, innovative ideas etc - stop by their website.

It's an interesting approach to giving people what they want - i like how they show the people who will be reviewing ideas. And apparently they even implement the good ones...

Cool.

How to Think

2008-03-25T20:24:00.000-07:00

Stumbled upon this on Ed Boyden's blog:

How to be creative, thoughtful, and powerful in a world where problems are extremely complex, targets are continuously moving, and our brains often seem like nodes of enormous networks that constantly reconfigure:

1. Synthesize new ideas constantly. Never read passively. Annotate, model, think, and synthesize while you read, even when you're reading what you conceive to be introductory stuff. That way, you will always aim towards understanding things at a resolution fine enough for you to be creative.

2. Learn how to learn (rapidly). One of the most important talents for the 21st century is the ability to learn almost anything instantly, so cultivate this talent. Be able to rapidly prototype ideas. Know how your brain works. (I often need a 20-minute power nap after loading a lot into my brain, followed by half a cup of coffee. Knowing how my brain operates enables me to use it well.)

3. Work backward from your goal. Or else you may never get there. If you work forward, you may invent something profound--or you might not. If you work backward, then you have at least directed your efforts at something important to you.

4. Always have a long-term plan. Even if you change it every day. The act of making the plan alone is worth it. And even if you revise it often, you're guaranteed to be learning something.

5. Make contingency maps. Draw all the things you need to do on a big piece of paper, and find out which things depend on other things. Then, find the things that are not dependent on anything but have the most dependents, and finish them first.

6. Collaborate.

7. Make your mistakes quickly. You may mess things up on the first try, but do it fast, and then move on. Document what led to the error so that you learn what to recognize, and then move on. Get the mistakes out of the way. As Shakespeare put it, "Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt."

8. As you develop skills, write up best-practices protocols. That way, when you return to something you've done, you can make it routine. Instinctualize conscious control.

9. Document everything obsessively. If you don't record it, it may never have an impact on the world. Much of creativity is learning how to see things properly. Most profound scientific discoveries are surprises. But if you don't document and digest every observation and learn to trust your eyes, then you will not know when you have seen a surprise.

10. Keep it simple. If it looks like something hard to engineer, it probably is. If you can spend two days thinking of ways to make it 10 times simpler, do it. It will work better, be more reliable, and have a bigger impact on the world. And learn, if only to know what has failed before. Remember the old saying, "Six months in the lab can save an afternoon in the library."

2008-03-19T12:57:00.000-07:00

I have just returned from a week in Wellington.

My highlights:

Chatting with Josh and Tai and learning about the Ship for World Youth.
Sitting next to David Baldwin on the plane - finding out that Cherrie Kong is working for them - falling in love with synergy all over again.
Talking with Paul Matthews from the Computer Society and regaining faith in the future of the ICT industry
Getting some insight into what community groups are thinking about in terms of online solutions, after being invited to sit in on the CIMS workshop.
Having a picnic 'meeting' with Megan Hosking and leaving it feeling stoked about the people in NZ who are just so on to it

The Issues with Innovation

2008-03-10T21:52:00.000-07:00

Every truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. -Arthur Schopenhauer.

Today I had the pleasure of attending a presentation. This presentation was done by my mother (Ingrid) to ARTA (Auckland Regional Transport Authority) on behalf of my father(Paul)'s organisation 'Trip Convergence' and their 'innovative' idea of Flexible Carpooling.

Being the offspring of this power-couple, my opinions expressed here are likely to be somewhat biased.. but that's OK - just know where I'm coming from.

ARTA claim to be about "helping find solutions to the traffic challenges facing the rapidly growing Auckland region." Great!

I am relatively new to the whole 'traffic solutions' scene and so I started searching for clear evidence of what ARTA have done to help find such solutions. The most obvious attempt is of course - the Northern Busway.

I was in the northern hemisphere over summer and upon returning south in mid-February, I witnessed the result of this $200 million dollar investment.

Judging by this photograph, this has clearly solved the issue of traffic congestion! ..... not.

According to North Shore City, one bus will run every 3 minutes.

A bus every 3 minutes! Imagine if a car passed along a motorway lane every 3 minutes! It deserves to be better used...

Hold that thought - we'll come back to it.

This is where Paul's company comes into the equation.

The general idea of flexible carpooling, is that it's like carpooling... but it's flexible. What I've done here, is made reference to a schema - carpooling - to get us both on the same page quickly.

But just to recap - you know what carpooling is:

It's a way to share the cost of traveling. It's a way to ease your eco-guilt. It's better for the environment and your pocket. And it's more comfortable than the bus!

But you also know carpooling as that annoying system of organising to share a ride with friends/co-workers/neighbours. It's that system that requires you to be on time. People are relying on you. If you're sick one day, you have to get in touch with someone. If you drop out of the carpool, they might have go through the hassle of finding someone else. *sigh*

So now I'm going to alter that schema with the word 'flexible'. By adding this word to the beginning of 'carpooling', we have just eliminated ALL of those annoying and tiresome definitions of carpooling in a traditional sense.

So what are we left with?

Flexible Carpooling: Better for the environment and your pocket. More comfortable than a bus. Convenient, hassle-free, no commitment required.

Neat-o.

Now I'd like to point out that Paul has been rallying for this idea to happen since... about 2005. (I think).

Today, after Ingrid's presentation to ARTA, Rabin Rabindran, deputy chair, asked "is there any working evidence of this system? Any pilots or small-scale examples?"

Ingird stammered. "Uh.. Seattle is interested. But Seattle want to know why Auckland isn't doing anything."

Ahhhh. According to Geoff Mulgan in the MIT Press/innovations, "Social innovations may be helped by formal market research or desk analysis, but progress is often achieved more quickly through turning the idea into a prototype or pilot and then galvanizing enthusiasm for it."

In Paul's case, I think this may be what's needed. Innovation is risky business and often involves failure of some kind. So governmental organisations are cautious about innovation for good reason - 'appetite for failure is limited in accountable organisations or where peoples' lives depend on reliability'. (innovations/spring 2006).

So whilst Trip Convergence is asking for the support and investment of the government and city councils - in my opinion, a lot could be done to get the public involved/on board, sans-huge dollars, in the meantime.

The 'risk' in this case, is that they will put up money to invest in an idea that won't work (ie. won't get used). That's the only risk as far as I can see? But if the public 'get it', if they demonstrate they can change their behaviour (ride sharing requires a shift in behaviour for most) and are demanding infrastructure to make using the system easier and safer - then the risk that it won't be used, is reduced/contained/eliminated... right?

Now bringing us back to my earlier thoughts on the Northern Busway. Assuming Trip Convergence have a pilot or many small examples of flexible carpooling being carried out around Auckland (by the public, without the safety/membership technology and without parking facilities). Now we have a $200 million busway that lies largely empty. The risk is now minimal. The cost is now minimal. The users have choice (bus or flexible carpool!). And the result, if Auckland decides to implement this? They appear to be leaders in innovation. The traffic congestion is reduced. Tailpipe emissions are reduced. Cost of travel is reduced. And internationally we lead the way for solutions to traffic challenges that many rapidly growing cities worldwide are facing.

Neat-o.

2008-03-09T21:27:00.001-07:00

So I'm feeling fabulous!!!!

Not really though. I finished my detox yesterday, and it went something like this:

9am: I awake to the smell of pancakes. Automatically, my mind conjures up images involving hot pancakes, maple syrup, blueberries, yogurt, my mouth, saliva, chewing, swallowing etc. Until the realisation hits me that I'm ON A DETOX. (aka NO SWEET SWEET DELICIOUS MMMMM FOOD). Furious, I storm downstairs demanding an explanation for such a cruel act. I notice that Paul (my father) has innocently set me a place at the table.

I explain (again) that I'm on a detox. He pleads ignorance. I forgive him. End result: I'm sitting at the table slowly munching on my oats+water, while Ingrid and Paul sit next to me, happily gorging on fluffy white pancakes.

6pm: Matthew and I are returning from a walk on the beach with Leia. He suggests we stop for food. I suggest Pizza (again, it's an reflex thought). We stop at this place called 'Dante's - We make, you bake'. The idea is quite self explanatory... for $15, they spend 2 minutes putting the pizza together and suffocating it in plastic glad-wrap - then you take it home and bake it for 10 minutes. Cool. But I'm not allowed cheese or gluten. So I pay (Matt pays) $2 extra for a gluten free base and they remove the cheese (surely they could have canceled each other out? I mean, why the 2 bucks?)

Anyway, so we get home and pop our pizzas in the oven. Mine - gluten free, artichokes, olives, onion and tomato. Matt's - smoked chicken, cranberry, mozzarella, camembert, sourdough base. Which pizza do you think looked the most delectable and smelt the most delicious as they were removed from the oven? It definitely wasn't the dried up, sans-cheese, crumbly gluten-free-base pizza (aka MINE.)

But today is a new day. Today is MONDAY. Today is NO MORE DETOX day.

Although, strangely, I haven't been overly excited to jump on the bread wagon. Or the milk wagon either for that matter. I had a coffee this morning. Which was nice. But I haven't had one since. I have this new awareness of my body I think. I look at food and I think 'what's going to happen to you when you get inside me? will I use you? Or will you blob around and make it difficult for me to go toilet?' Yes... so there's some insight into what goes on in my head!

I wonder how long this new feeling will last...

diary of a detox

2008-03-03T15:37:00.000-08:00

I'd thought about it before. Many times actually. But this time I knew it was the time.

$50 for 2 sets of pills. I'm taking 21 pills a day. I started yesterday and it only lasts a week.

The rules? No bread. No milk. No sugar. No alcohol. No crap, basically. But worst of all - no Caffeine. I can't actually remember the last time I went without Caffeine for a day, so you must try to understand how serious this is for me. I spent all of yesterday unable to do much, as I moped around cringing from one of the worst headaches I've had in a while. Today it is better... although I am cringing at the thought of the cold brown rice and plain tuna I am about to consume for lunch.