There’s More to Rugby than the Game

The countdown to the Tauranga Arts Fest is on. It has been hidden among the rugby hype,  flapping car flags and is not as obvious as the French team’s white shorts ability to show what each player has on offer. But it is still coming and definitely worth checking out (the Arts Fest, not the shorts).

If you do happen to have a TV attached as an extra body appendage and powered intravenously by your passion for NZ’s national sport, you’ll be pleased to know that you are not exempt from the Arts Festival. Even if you are like my father who always dedicates a portion of our phone conversations to players, teams, scores and blah blah... sigh.

There’ll be no whistle blowing, red cards, video referees or screamed obscenities at the apparently incompetent referees (we all know that you can do a better job), because you’re dragged down to the Arts Festival by the ‘opposition’. You might in fact be pleasantly surprised.

There’s theatre and a photographic exhibition. Not just any theatre where you’re picturing yourself yawning at the opera, dressed in your number ones in the dark, but rugby comedy theatre! Picture watching 'C’Mon Black!' laughing out loud at the main character who’s a farmer and you’ll hear names tossed around like Zinny and Fitzy. You love rugby and who doesn’t like laughing? It also doubles as an abdominal workout, so you can keep that Ab King Pro hidden at the back of the wardrobe keeping the coats off the ground. If my dad was living here, I would actually take him (and he’s the guy who usually snores five minutes into a movie).

And there’s Grace: The Exhibition. Large scale photographs of international players captured in powerful rugby imagery. These pictures are replicated in photos of dancers. It actually looks quite impressive and will be out on the field too, at Masonic Park. There won’t be any orange wedges on offer, but it is free. So it’s worth a look, aye mate.

Now that I’ve sorted your line up it’s time you picked your team and sorted your strategy for the Tauranga Arts Festival. It’ll be the winning conversion.

NB: No puns were harmed in the writing of this article. They were simply enhancing features.  Like Botox in Hollywood.

When New Opportunities Come Along, Just Buy Stuff

Even though I keep flicking through the Tauranga Arts Festival booklet, I keep ‘discovering’ new things. It’s like finding one more beautifully wrapped present addressed solely to you, nestled amid the pine needles beneath the Christmas tree. The more I turn, peruse and let my eyes pirouette across the pages, the more I seem to uncover and events I want to attend. Is this a magical booklet?

Greg the festival director would say ‘yes’, my colleague would say ‘what are you on about this time?’ and my aunty would crack a smile with a welcoming giggle.

Supernatural theatre guides aside, I have more pressing issues that involve new purchases. After the initial shock of becoming the ‘Official Blogger’ or maybe ‘Blawgger’, ‘Awegger’, ‘Blogsome’ (awesome blogger), I had to buy something. I’d like to blame it on genetics – The compulsion to purchase something when I am experiencing any change in emotion. ‘Excitement’ coupled with a hint of ‘anxiety’ warrants a new diary for my latest venture. Actually... two new diaries. They both waved out to me from the shelf to be purchased, for the purpose of taking notes. One for a normal handbag size and one for ‘why does she need a handbag that big?’ handbag size.

After handing over my money and walking off with the new journals, I felt a sense of accomplishment. I was now officially one step closer to being more official. Then I accidently ruined the baby notebook by taking notes in really ugly hand-writing, while I was on the bike at The Gym. Luckily the pages can easily be ripped out.

The next big question is what to wear? I already have a collection of cute heels (there can never be enough) and a wardrobe full of fabulous dresses... but I need more. If I am going to be gallivanting about for 11 days in a completely New York style manner from exhibition to theatre to dance to presentation to concert, I must add to the ‘House of Hunia’ collection. Some of these shows look like a divine chocolate mousse that you want to dive into. I figure that I’d best be dressed for the ‘chocolate mousse diving’ occasion.

So now it’s time to write and it’s time to shop. Helloooooooooo fantastic new frocks! Can’t wait to wear ‘n write!

To find your own ‘magical’ Tauranga Arts Festival guide, they are available at Tauranga City Libraries, various cafes and restaurants, information centres and at Mediaworks reception in the Westpac Building,

Devonport Rd.

Or if you are pretty good on the old inter-web thingy go to www.taurangafestival.co.nz

The opinions of all my blog entries are from my own brain and typed with my own fingers. They are not the views of my employer, my parents, or the dog that roams my street depositing brown ‘presents’ on my lawn.

It All Started With a Corridor Conversation...

I'm the kind of person who has a lot of ideas. Mostly random, sometimes a little crazy and I usually just throw them out there to see what happens. No caution to the wind as far as I'm concerned. And so it had begun... a slip of the tongue resulting in fully fledged fruition.

It began one Friday morning at work. I am part of the team at Mediaworks Radio. I was perusing emails and indulging in my morning ritual of banana and yoghurt topped porridge. I was interrupted by a booklet entitled 'Tauranga Arts Festival 2011'.

"Here's this year's Arts Fest programme. Thought you might be interested in some of the shows." Said Jolene from Promos.

"Oh yeah." She knows I'm always up for a little bit of concert culture.

I looked at it, a little bit suspiciously to be honest. I wasn't expecting to be wowed.

I began to leaf through it. Page three's 'World Press Photo' jumped out at me. I love photographs, especially prestigious ones in large scale print. Even the picture of the girl with sans nose was eerily beautiful.

I kept flipping through. Italian guitar, Tahuna Breaks, Berlin Burlesque... I was pleasantly surprised and a little bit excited. I picked up my new best friend and stood in the doorway to my office discussing these new found treats.

A man in glasses walked towards me from the studio and said "Thanks." Jolene quickly got up and introduced him as "Greg - The director of the Tauranga Arts Festival." Really? Unknowingly verbalising a compliment and the unintended recipient happens to be walking by - Good work NJ... that's worth a Karmic point or two.

It really was. I gushed about how great the programme looked (and actually meant it) while Greg the Director nodded and took it all in. Amid the bubbling excitement, I randomly waffled out an idea. To be honest, my ideas aren't always that mind-blowing or well received... like suggesting a costumed theme at the staff Christmas party, eating one cheeseburger in two bites, or having a beer before playing social beach volleyball. So you'd understand my surprise when I blurted out "Imagine going to all of the shows and blogging about them." It was received with an unexpected contemplative nod. My doorway had become the amazing ideas area.

I told Greg that I was already bitten by the blog bug and probably at about a 2 on the great idea scale, informed him that my last post was about the 'Hot Calendar Guy' that stares at me and my flatmates from the kitchen. Jolene discussed the logistics of tickets. I handed over my blog site address. Greg took it all in.

After he left I bounced around like Tigger, 'Oh em geed' and demanded a hug from Jolene. This was a big deal for me. I heart opportunities especially when they are cherried on top with a chance to write about them. This is most definitely the mocktail version of 'Sex and the City'.

The next day, Jolene forwarded an email from Greg. If I was still up for it, I'd be the official Tauranga Arts Festival blogger. Whoa... boy am I up for it! I'm also up for changing my office around. My desk is definitely going to be positioned in the new 'amazing ideas area'.

So watch this space, as I'll be blogging my way to the Tauranga Arts Festival and squeezing in as many shows as humanly possible in 11 days.