A shrine to Marmite

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjSER4WWaOs

I love marmite it is the greatest thing in the world I want to eat it everyday and spread it all over my body

ewwwww!!!!!

uhmm

You know when you get real distracted? Mix that with a tinge of laziness and you have my blog lately!!!

So that's the story

Anyways sometimes I don't really know what to write about in times like this.....should I babble about a million little nothings and everythings that happened a week ago, or just start in the semi-present time?

Upon deep thinking I decided I will coast through the events semi quickly so I don't bore you too much.....

Yes I reckon that could work

First off!!!

Merry Christmas

I hope Santa was good to all of you, and your festivities were full of turkey, gin, and egg nog. (I'm scared of egg nog, but if you are not then drink drink drink and shake it like a polaroid picture).

To be quite honest I am paying for my Christmas festivities as I type this entry. The vodka police seemed to think I needed to get my levels checked and sorted last night. I was walking down the street minding my own business, and then they stopped me suduced me to the bottle-o. Oh I tried to refrain, but they were too strong. Alas I have had an amazing Christmas and time in the North island. Aukland was well............To be honest...........Most likely---> the lamest city I have ever been to....However I was in good company so I had a nice time.

I Checked out some cool places, and did a crazy walk. We did the crossing, which is where a lot of lord of the rings is filmed. I still haven't seen the movie, and I get the piss for it all the time! I should get on that today as I am 'detoxing'.....mmm hair of the dog!!!....

Anyways it was definitely the most intense walk I ever did. The good thing was I had amazing company, so we had a blast. I met an awesome Irish couple, and a cool American girl. Together we formed team Psyche/Danger/Turtle/Enjoyment. Once we got to the mountain we had to climb the devils staircase which was extemely steep, but once you get past that you feel like you can do anything.

Right now I'm in Wellington which is by far the best city in NZ. It's real funky/artsy and has a real good vibe to it. It's real relaxed, yet it's cool and has culture. If Aukland and Wellington were foods :

Aukland would be plain bread-not toasted or anything

Wellington= Marmite bread Recipe I talk about in the next little blurb of ramblings

Real crap analogy but I get real excited about Marmite now so maybe it makes sense to me. I made up a real simple recipe that I think is one of the most delicious things.

You take an avocado and mix a tinge of Marmite in with half a spoon of balsamic salad dressing. Mix it all up to your desired texture. Top on bread with a tomato and maybe some tuna if your feeling dangerous. Salmon if your feeling posh!!! I'm convinced that everything tastes better when there is something crunchy on top....So maybe some wasabe peas inside, or some cashews....

Oh Yes my friends!!! Marmite is an acquired taste and I thought it was the grossest thing in the world when I first got to Oz. I remember being fresh off the plane and thinking it was like a jam when I had my continental breakfast. I spread it on like butter and was in for a terrible surprise!!! I often think where I would find it on Canadian shelves. Do they sell Marmite/vegimite in Canadia???? Do I need to bring some back when I go home??? If you know fill me in brothers and sisters. I'm just a curious little monkey like that.

Happy Christmas!!!

Happy Wednesdsay

Love:

Chrissy

More Crossing pictures. After you finish the more intense climb part you get to the emerald lakes. We all had our lunch there and felt real good about ourselves, and gave ourselves pats on the backs. The last is us having Christmas eve festivities.

The first picture is on the way to Lake Taupo outside of Rotorura. It's a hot spring with a little water fall....Afterwards is the Tangariro crossing. These are on the way up. I kinda wish I took more pictures looking up as we were climbing. The dude that was going with us told us never to look up. This was a real good tactic as the second hour was real intense. They call it the devils staircase and it is heaps steep. The whole walk was about 7 hours, we were all FINISHED afterwards.

Pictures Pictures and More pictures!!!!!!!

The first two are from Cathedral cove which is in Hahei on the east coast of the north island. It's amazing there. Afterwards we went to Hoboton which is where a lot of the scened in Lord of the rings is filmed as well. The last is in Roturora. Heaps of thermal craziness there, with boiling mud and hot springs. Good stuff

so tomorrow I leave on my jet plane for the last phase of vacation in the north.

I kind of already miss the south..I can't wait to come back here.....I booked an appointment today to talk about my school and how I'll work with the month gap. Once I have that figured out I'll come back after and work in a neighbour town to where I am now.

I love it here so much it's amazing. Besides the owner there are only 4 other dudes @ my hostel who were all amazing. One man named Neil is a funny character who took us to this amazing pub 15 km out of town. Neil hnotices the most intricate details in life that nobody else would notice. Almost in the light of slight autism. It' s an amazing quality though, we all found him to be quite comical. He really should be a tour guide.

The pub had communal seating, and just has a real darling quality to it. It wasn't busy but everyone is so friendly and you can't help but make friends for the night. Neil took us to this path outside the pub and across the street afterwards. Once you walk about 3 minutes you walk by these walls full of beautiful glow worms. They are absolutely amazing, they just luminate the whole wall and chill. It was probably the best pub I've ever been to (stewy was amazing though on the island)...It just had such a good vibe here.

The people are all so nice and Buddhist like here. Everyone shares and looks out for each other, it's really my kind of place. I can't wait to come here for the New Years festival.

Anyways I can't talk about this anymore or I'll throw up!!! haha (in a good way)
*mwah*
see ya in Aukland(ish) probably

Hey if this works it wont be very good quality...But @ least I can say I tried

This is Bungy Jumping in Queenstown. It took forever to get online...OMG hah Anyways Happy Tuesday/Monday

The worst part by far is when you stand on the ledge before you jump. There is just something slightly UN-natural about throwing yourself off a shed hanging from cable wire 134 metres up. After the little intro the man that walked me over to the ledge counted to three

1----2-----3

Obviously you are meant to jump on three. I kinda freaked out and got him to count twice....ahh..I really tried to play it cool but I don't think I can. I actually thought it would be fun to even try to just make believe that I wasn't nervous. To walk over like a big strong man/Xena warrior princess and just jump-like it was no big deal at all you know? This was so far from the situation. The excitement just seeped from my body and oozed onto the floor. If it were an actual substance quite possibly could have given a few money shots to the eye or something. Anyways I didn't play it cool, I sounded like a little girl @ a JTT autograph signing in 1992, but I"m so glad I jumped. It's kind of an accomplishment to yourself, in a foreign strange way.

One thing I do kinda wonder about is how people remain so composed in some situations like that. Some of the people freaked out more then myself, while others jumped before rope man said 2 and a half. Sometimes I wonder how myself and people I know would react on a show like the price is right. I know I would be a maniac...A million times worse then Bungy Jumping...ahh strees stress!!!...

Takaka

Takaka is the name of the town that I'm hanging out @ the present time.

It is a very quirky place, and in ways one of my favourite spots in NZ so far. I made my way over here in the afternoon from Nelson yesterday. I met a heap of random people on the way and ended up staying with these girls that I met outside of the town. It's a really small unadvertised rock climbing retreat place. It was like 12$ a night, and everyone is extremely friendly. I had to leave today though, because there was a school that was going there. Everyone (including myself) found this very strange. It's not really a good place kids.

Anyways the owner gave me a lift into town and I booked into Barefoot backpackers on the main street. There is one main street here and it's really granola and hippy like. Everywhere you look there are comfy pants, notice boards full of new age seminars, along with beautiful greenery. I'm pretty much the only person @ the hostel so I've just been hanging out with the staff real cushy-like. I really like this town though...I'm hopefully going to this pub afterwards where you can take a path full of glow worms. It's meant to be quite an amazing site. The river is nice here too, full of perfect round rocks that don't cut your feet, equiped with a killer playground on the way. I must leave tomorrow though to catch my light to Aukland though... I think the North Island would have to work quite hard to win me over though. I can't wait to get back here in the south and work...

Mkay ttyl
Love
Chrissy

Well good evening or whatever time it is wherever you are....

I think there must have been magical fairies that sprinkled specks of divine inspiration all over Nelson and myself this avro/morn. Nelson = the town I am in now ...It is the greatest spot in the south island (possibly the world).

I think that there comes a time in every ones life when something snaps (in an excessively good way). If this is true (which it is), then that day would definetely be Dec the 10th 2007) I believe that everything happens for a reason, and that sometimes things fall on to our laps to inspire and allow us grow. When these things happen I think that it is impossible to ignore them. If life were a creek, it makes more sense where I am going and how I am getting there. I will paddle as hard as I can, and then the current will do the rest.

Basically life is really amazing...Every day when I wake up the first thing I try to think of is

Thank you

Thank you for opening up my eyes....and taking my first step on this glorious day. (I"m real sorry to sound cheesy)...I even wake up real early every day, I just get excited. I just think about how good I am at making oatmeal and all the great things that can happen in a day. Why sleep when you can be awake??? I ask myself!!

My day started out ..............

I went with my lady friends to town....in the Morn
As always I really like being wonky solo during the day and we mainly ditched each other to meet up later at the veggie cafe @ 1:00. It was a lovely day. I got a nice jacket (exactly like my favourite one back home) and a cool blue beaded ring fo 5.50$. I also bought a few other things for myself (I never really go shopping so it felt real good).

The best thing that happened was when I went to the yoga studio
I wanted to check the classes and ended up talking about the teaching program with the lady who worked there for quite sometime. The class is real affordable compared to most that I have looked up. A lot are $15,000+. It's the exact same certification and I can possibly work to pay for some or all of it.

I think this is one of those things that has fallen from the sky, landed on my lap and presented an amazing opportunity upon me. I have been living life to comfortably, and need to do something like this to make everything wholesome again. I have always thought about being a yoga instructor. I love yoga and teaching why not combine the two??? No matter how hard I have to work at shit jobs in the meantime I will do it. If I have to downgrade my museli, and never by an iced coffee again I will do it. With your mind in the right place you can accomplish absolutely anything. There is no fence to high, with barbed wire to low to jump/crawl over. I have been living life to safely , and something has to change and grow.

Second off I love Nelson!!! It's the greatest place I think I have ever been to. Yoga is something I'm real passionate about, and if I could do it as a profession I would be forever in my glory. After I left the studio all I could do was daydream about having classes by the beach, and perfecting real good chai to give to my customers afterwards.

The only downfall is that classes are from July-Dec...and my visa finishes in Nov....I have a plan though. My plan is that I will go to immigration get temporary residency or a student visa so that I can finish my course etc etc. I will work my little butt off in the meantime picking/bagging kiwis, or whatever I want to do to follow my dream. Everyone I have talked to so far about this kindof stuff says it's quite easy. I know 100% I'd be able to renew my visa so I doubt there would be any dramas at all. It can even be an advantage that classes start later because then I have time to save cash for my classes, and a ticket to visit home.

I think life is real good, but sometimes I think I really should be improving/learning something that I can put to actual use. Hula hooping is real great and all....but unless I join the circus not really very useful @ the mo. (I am getting my special hoop/dvd that I ordered from the states soon though-I can't wait)

Okay I need to shut up before I puke from excitement.

Other then my master plan....everything else is peachy as well....I booked a flight to hang out in Aukland for the weekend. After I'm gonna see the north and either go back down to Nelson, or stay up on the north to work (if anywhere wins me over more then Nelson). I really obviously love traveling and all, but I am looking forward to just getting a job, making some proper friends, maybe nursing an aloe plant or starting an herb garden. I look forward to having room ates, and my own room/space. It's kinda crazy when I think of it how long I have been in hostels for. I don't know how it hasn't driven me crazy. I guess it doesn't matter though....after a while you just learn to be real tolerant of a lot of things. (I can tell examples upon request of bad room ate experiences).

Anyways yaaa I look forward to that....I think NZ will be different and in ways a million times better then Oz.

mkay

I'm done raving

If you have read up this far that's pretty impressive and you deserve a seal of approval

Bye now
Love:
Chrissy Funzo

Good Morning

Heya today is a Thursday (I think)

Honestly I can never keep track of the days I've been a non working hippy for more then a month now (it's great)!!

Yes yes...It is Thursday...I am certain of it now!!

Since Dundedin I went back to Queeny, and then up to Christchurch. I was meant to get picked up on Monday but I had a little sleep in...opps.....Then on Tuesday (I had the bus rescheduled) they forgot about me..meh meh...Anyways so I came up here on Wednesday and sit pretty in chch now.

The hostel is alright I'm staying @ Charlie B's. Sortof a bit bigger, and not as cozy as the Queeny hostel. I'm looking forward to getting back on the stray bus tomorrow. Kaikorra, up to Blenheim, then the North Island....yes yes!!!

I ordered a really posh hula hooping kit that will be sent up to Aukland...I am very stoked!!!

Uhm anyways I don't have much to say...

bye

p.s. I got real bored while I was waiting for that video to upload and I found this

http://www.newspix.com.au/Packages/ViewImage.aspx?id=730377

haha so the newpaper didn't forget about me @ the Beer Can regatta...awe I feel so special

More Stewart Island pics..I guess I can be lazy as they don't really need a description...Beautiful island, free car for the day, strange phone attached to a tree, and lots of beautiful bays

And below is a video of me messing with my hula in the drive way of our island cottage....

Spoooooky Friday!!!!!

Actually it's Saturday in my world...But was Friday a spooky day?? Well yes it was...

I spent the evening taping my hula hoop in my haunted room....The place was real quiet, so I just listened to music and hung out.....The halls get a little dark(ish) and to save electricity the lights are all sensored so they go out and turn back on as you go through the hall....Nobody came to eat their dinner @ the dinning room yet...It remained empty with every table set up. Sometimes I would notice that one of the chairs was moved (could be a coincidence, or a ghostly encounter - only time will tell)....Maybe some of the ghosts had too much gin and had to break the seal.

Anyways I booked my sweet ass down to the octagon ( the town center is called the octagon because it's shaped as such) for 9:55 and went on the ghost tour. It was quite funny, because it was all old ladies that were having a reunion (they used to all work together and do a get together twice a year)....The tour guide Kate was real funny. She took us around the city and told us some cool ghost stories. We went to the cemetery after and did some creepy walking, and learned about some of Dunedins dark history. The cemetery was real dark too, I haven't been anywhere in NZ so far that has been this dark. I think it's because we're so close to the poles in summer it just doesn't really get fully dark......

Anyways afterwards we went to the pub got a free beer and got out Tarot reading for free....it was pretty sweet...All the old ladies went home and I hung out with Kate had some G n' T's and eventually went on my merry way to my haunted accommodation. Surprisingly I slept like a baby in a coma.......

Hey world

Today is a nice day....I have been around and out and about the southern part of NZ, and now I sit pretty in Dunedin.

We went to Stewart Island before which was a lot of fun. It probably is up there as one of the friendliest places in the world. I went with a cool girl I met named Jackie, we walked around a bunch during the day, and drank chai and tea. The best part was always the pub @ night. There are only 400 people on the island and everyone knows everyone. All the locals were extremely friendly and all offered us free cars for the day, fishing trips, salad journeys etc etc. It was nice.....Unfortunately we never got to go fishing because we had to leave on Thursday. We did score a free car though which was sweet. I drove for the first time since I've been away (That is kinda a lie, I drove once in Queensland for like 45 minutes)....It was fun, the roads are heaps narrow though on the little island.

Dunedin is a good spot though...a real Scottish/english looking place. I think that the hotel I"m @ is haunted. It's real creepy and all I can think about it

RED RUM RED RUM

uhmm well ya it is true though, It's also a little strange because I have the whole room to myself tonight (so reception tells me)

It's a hotel/back packers, but it doesn't really feel like anywhere I've ever been before....It's real empty, and all the walls have velvet on them with real strange decor. There is this strange dining room you have to walk through to get to the back packers side. It's always been empty never one customer...But I think maybe the place is full I just can't see them.

Since I have no friends today. (they all left on the Stray bus) I have walked around and had a nice Chrissy Date day...I ended up scoring free pipe for another hoop (mine is a little squashed), played on the net a bunch, and just enjoyed the city....I decided that since my accommodation is real weird and I don't have much to do in the evening that I will go on a Ghost Tour. I wanted to do one in Sydney, but never did....So now is my chance to shine. On Sunday I head back to Queeny and then up to Christchurch. I don't know if I"m going to the North Island afterwards or maybe going to work straight away..hmm?? Decisions Decisions!!!!

That's enough babbling bye now, I'm going to make a cup of soup and work on my hula hoop...
Love:
Chrissy Funzo

Some of cool chicks I met on the stray bus....Leaving Barrytown on the way to the Frans Joeseph Glacier

This is me getting ready to jump off the ledge it was real freaking high.....Hopefully I'll have the video up soon...it's taking forever to upload...ah eh

Hello

Well hmm I don't even really remember where I left off so I'll try to keep this semi point form...

NZ is still the greatest place on earth...Every day seems to get sweeter and more lovely. We went to Queenstown for two nights...Twas a good time...I did the Nevis bungy jump which is the second highest in the world (I'm uploading the video on you tube now)...It was definetely worth every penny even though it only lasted a few seconds. Even now when I watch the video or think about when I pushed my body 137 meters off a ledge I get a little rush of adrenaline...mmmm I can't wait to sky dive.

hMMm what else?? Went on a Milford Sound Cruise...It was also nice....A few other random places with kareoke and things like this. Today we were meant to go to Stewart Island but the ferry was cancelled because of the wind. So we're in a small town Invercargil (ah I'm pretty sure I spelt that wrong), It's cute here but not much to do really I guess...I think everyone is just going out on the piss tonight....a good idea I suppose.

Oh and I quit smoking....It's been real easy so far...every now and again I'll have a little urkling to smoke but meh it passes. I read this really good book: Easy way Quitting. It was actually really good and gives you a lot of good pointers...Since I've been in NZ I feel even more guilty about polluting my body and the beautiful surroundings. I have been doing a lot more yoga and hula hooping lately....yee ah

Anyways I don't really have much to say
Love:
Chrissy

These are Barry Town pictures.....Barry Town is a real small town with a population of about 40.....It's one of the best places for green stone (for it to find you on the beach)...I say this because it's very bad luck to find green stone and keep it for yourself...You are always supposed to give it to someone special..Also the stone is supposed to find you.....When it finds you, you should have it with you for a while so that your essence will be passed on when you gift it to someone...It's very sentimental and special. We found some cool stones but no green stone....I'm sure one day it will find me and I will be sure to give it to someone.....There is a pub that is attached to the hostel. It's my kind of pub I reckon...It has about 7 tubs of dress up clothes. Everyone gets dressed up The girls as gansters, and the boys as hoey girls from teh 40's...It was pretty funny...In the morning most of us dragged our sick selves out of bed and did some bone carving.....It was really fun....I took one of the designs and tweeked it a little bit to make a duck. I wear it all the time and, I'm sure it will bring me good luck. I loved Barry Town.....The beach is magnificent.

These pictures are all @ Abel Tasman National Park...It's breath taking beautiful...You could amost choke because of the scenery.....The first is the tractor that took me to the water taxi...We then got dropped off in the middle of the park (Bark Bay)...It was a 7 hour walk back... Probably the best walk I've ever done in my life.....The last one is a stuck up black swan that didn't want to eat my oats...pft the ducks play much friendlier