Eating Dubai

Happy New Year. We are just back from two weeks at the beach house and I am missing the sea already. I can't believe how much our simple wooden bach has become my happy place.

In the meantime, another of my stories about a Dubai food walking tour is published in the Flight Centre blog (click here to read).

Farewell 2015

This year has just about dragged its butt across the finish line.

There have been good times and bad times, laughs and tears and a whole ocean of red wine in-between.

Here's a couple of highlights from the past 364-1/2 days.

Things I loved: Travel (see below), our cute wee beach house, the chance to write the shizzle out of lots of interesting things, my two boys.

Things I didn't love: The usual suspects - a couple of contracts (and the lunatic people associated with them), morons who insist on abusing animals and raping the planet, having to do the extra schlep from Auck to Welli after already being enclosed in a flying tin-can for hours and hours (hurry up and build that bloody Welli runway extension, would you!)

Stamps I added to my passport: Oman, Dubai (x2), India, Singapore, US, Italy and Australia.

What my money went on: Renovating the beach house, a deepening addiction to Kiehl's products and the government (you're welcome, Mr Tax Man).

The soundtrack to my year: The City and Colour, Of Monsters and Men, Arctic Monkeys, Ed Sheeran, Wilco.

Unmissable tee-vee: Silicon Valley, Homeland, Mr Robot, The Knick, Better Call Saul, Broad City, Empire, Scandal, The Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, Olive Kitteridge, Orange is the New Black, Transparent, Black-ish, Grace and Frankie.

Books I rested my eyes upon:  Too many to mention - the N&S Magazine reviewing gig continues to rock.

What 2016 has in store: Hopefully lots more lovely travel for work, a milestone birthday, another investment property and more interesting, engaging work that not only pays the bills but also doesn't make me want to stab myself.

Wherever you are, and whatever you're doing, have a great New Year's Eve night - and an even better 2016.

 
  
(Pic Credit: Google Images) 
  


  

Happy New Year

A quiet start to the New Year at the Stephenson-Haughey whare.

There was a sleep in, breakfast in bed and a bit of work (deadlines are no respector of stat hols). Later there was a waterlogged walk with the Hound, a run and the rest of this fabulous series.

I hope your bubbles were cold and that you drank slightly too much, laughed too loudly and welcomed 2014 in the style it deserved. We certainly did.

Today's visuals are of my furry love bag...what else do you need for a good year?

Fare thee well

Twenty thirteen has almost dragged itself across the finish line. Previously, I've marked the passing of another year with a report card.

This time around, however, I lack both the energy and the time to do so. This year has been absolutely knackering and although there have been more good days than bad, it's time to throw a cloth over 2013 and move on. So instead of the usual in-depth post mortem, this year you shall have the once over lightly version.

Things I loved:

• Winning the Cathay Pacific NZ Travel Writer of the Year Competition
• Media trips to Seoul and Singapore
• A visit to the parentals in Oz 
• Two crazy awesome day contracts
• Lots of interesting commissions to write the shizzle out of
• One giant leap forward for financial freedom; two more years and we should be able to get the hell out of Dodge
• My fire-engine red Kitchen Aid 
• A new book reviewing gig and three new magazines to write for
• Red wine
• Running; it may be a bit optimistic to put this in the 'love' category but it keeps me sane and helps with the lard-arse management   
• New friends, old friends and my two favourite boys.

Things I didn't love so much:

• One contract that made me want to chop off my head
• Work that didn't make my soul sing
• Bitchy, arsey editors who treat freelancers like something stuck to the bottom of their shoe (I'm convinced there is a special place in hell for these women)
• The winter, which seemed to go on for 873 days
• Shitty, inconsiderate neighbours and their shittier stereos. When I am Mayor, sub-woofers are the first thing I will outlaw.

Movies I laughed and cried at, and then watched over:

• Moonrise Kingdom
• The Kings of Summer
• Flight
• Gravity
• Paranorman
• The Butler.

Books I adored (of the 30 I managed to read this year):

• The Lowland by Jumpa Lahiri 
• The Newlyweds by Nell Fruendberger
• American Wife by Curtis Stittenfeld
• The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano
• Drown by Junot Diaz
• A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon.

Unmissable tee-vee:

• Breaking Bad (you are sorely missed)
• Orange is the New Black
• Orphan Black
• Homeland
• Suits
• Scandal
• The Killing (the Danish one, not the American version)  
• The Newsroom
• Top of the Lake
• House of Cards.

The soundtrack to my year:

• City and Colour
• Bon Iver 
• Lana Del Ray
• Lorde.

What 2014 has in store: 

• A media trip to Hong Kong and Europe in Feb/March
• A visit to Mum and Dad's new house in May  
• More interesting contracts and freelance work (she says, crossing everything on her person that it shall be so)
• The ability to say 'No' - to things that don't interest me/that eat away at my soul/that feel icky - and mean it
• More doggy meet ups
• Rediscovering my love of running via the running group
• Learning to finally make my peace with GST, ACC and all the other bullshit that goes with being self-employed 
• Another rental property/lifestyle property/investment of some sort
• Letting go of the crap that doesn't matter and embracing that which does.    

Happy New Year y'all. Hope 2014 is everything you want it to be. 

(Pic credit: Tumblr)