O Fortuna       
velut luna                            
statu variabilis,                    
semper crescis
aut decrescis

O Fortune,
like the moon
you are changeable,
ever waxing
and waning

"What am I good at?" is the wrong starting point. People who attempt to deduce an answer usually end up mistaking intensity for passion. To the heart, they are vastly different. Intensity comes across as a pale busyness, while passion is meaningful and fulfilling. A simple test: Is your choice something that will stimulate you for a year or something that you can be passionate about for 10 years?

Looks like I'm not the only one that's come out of hibernation - Mr Blogger himself is back! (postnote: I kid you not I wrote the title of this posting without reference to his! What can I say, great minds think alike...but mine is greater of course!)

So why the absence? Not much of a reason but laziness and possibly also a change in lifestyle (1. living in an apartment where I could only connect to the net properly in our insulation-deprived living room - my last post was coincidentally in August 07 i.e. winter! ...and 2. I started a new job in Oct last year where time online was limited)

It's nice to be back - I've quite missed my creative outlet (aka ramblings)!

The return is probably quite well timed as well as I've got some overseas shennanigans to report on (just back from a 3-week adventure in Europe) and also because I'm potentially moving offshore again with a work transfer (i.e. more overseas shenannigans to report on in the near future - hurrah!).

All going to plan, come Feb next year my new home will be Brisbane - not quite Europe as planned but at least it's a move north ;) I'm looking forward to a sunnier climate and rubbing in our rugby league prowess (have just finished watching the Kiwis beat the Roos to win the World Cup!)

Cheers to that!

So anyway, a brief lowdown on life over the last year or so (I'll let linked photos do most of the talking!):

Trips across the ditch: work trip to Melbourne (mixed with pleasure) in Sept 07 (photos here and here), Sydney for a long weekend in June 08 and gate-crashing parentals holiday on the Gold Coast in July 08.

Trips around Aotearoa: The Tron (Hamilton) for Claire's birthday last year, weekend to the northern most point of NZ (Cape Reinga) with Simone, Paihia for family Christmas, Mt Maunganui to see Mole's very cute twins, The Rapas when Kate came to town, up the slopes to Turoa for a ski trip... and up the road to Raumati for NY08 and Simone's last weekend in NZ.

Weddings galore: Karen and Warren, Co-MC'ing Rina and Wan's with Vesi (much fun!) and most recently Krishna and Diogo.

Walking galore: as some of you might have heard I did a 100km relay walk which turned out not to be a relay. It was a hugely daunting challenge but a truly amazing experience. 25 hours of non-stop walking is probably the hardest thing I've ever done but probably also the most rewarding. Some photos of Oxfam Trailwalker 08 here.

Yearly institutions: The Rugby Sevens (as pirates this year - thanks for the photos Simone), Young Profs Ball 07 and 08 and Toast Martinborough Wine and Food Festival 07 and 08.

Career change #2: after much deliberation I returned to the legal profession after a foray in the corporate world (this time in private practice) - I felt like a complete fraud for awhile but after a few months I got used to life in 6 minute blocks, composing lengthy sentences, using a dictaphone and having a secretary!

Extra-curricular activities: another round of indoor cricket during Winter 07 with a whole lotta boys (trouble!), being on the founding committee of an organisation called Wellington Young Professionals which launched in September this year, developed a strange addition to watching the Food Channel, Rock of Love (case of "so bad it was good") and the Flight of the Conchords series, went to music concerts (Evermore, Wellington's Odessa and old school Supergroove)...and last but not least I found a certain person who likes me in spite of my ugly bigtoenails (or lack thereof)!

Food: Still love it. Food trends for the year: aloe vera juice, ready salted chips, Monteiths Radlers, pickled green chillis, chilled soba noodles, cupcakes and most recently raw cabbage dipped in miso paste (a strange but delicious combination - thanks Charin!).

Great - you're all caught up!
Summary: Life in Wellington is good.

talk about co-ordination!

(scroll to about 3mins to go)