The 2009 New Zealand International Film Festival is on at the moment, and while I haven’t had a chance to see alot of the films I did make time to go see Ponyo.

I’m a huge fan of Miyazaki + Studio Ghibli. I have half a dozen of their films, so I was pretty stoked to get to see Ponyo not only on the big screen, but at The Civic (Click the link, you’ll get a panoramic view of inside the theatre).

The Civic is a gorgeous, gorgeous theatre. Much better than the panoramic view makes it out to be. It’s huge for a start. And there are so many tiny tiny details. Before the show the sun ‘sets’, and if you look up stars come out on the ceiling! I’m not quite sure how they do it, but the last time I was there they had clouds drafting over the ceiling too. Not actual clouds, I’m fairly sure it was just clever lighting, but I was delighted to see it. And stoked that Ponyo was shown there.

There’s something really great about Miyazaki’s films. They all are filled with fantastic animation, touching storylines (which usually have a clever (and moral) point), and the characters are always super charming and have such unique characteristics (in Ponyo there were old women who cackle and regain the use of their knees like youngsters; Lisa, the mother figure is a really crazy driver, and the villain? He wears blush and circus pin-stripped suit!)

While I found this one a little more straightforward than some of the other movies, Ponyo really was great. I love that there is so much life in his little characters (it certainly doesn’t hurt that they are super cute, too). In this one the evil characters weren’t so evil (certainly not like the top hat henchmen in Howl’s Moving Castle) but they were certainly present just the same.

All in all, I was pretty stoked to get to see it. I’ll probably end up adding the dvd to my collection too, I think. If you get the chance to see it, I HIGHLY recommend it :)

I saw this on the internet at some point and saved it because I loved the sentiment. I’m sure it’s being used as web-award or something, but I love the idea that this is an actual sign up somewhere, complimenting the people that pass by it with kindness.

Sometimes all it takes to feel good about yourself is for someone to tell you you’re beautiful in a simple and honest way. And I love that this sign does that. Yay for the good in the world . . .

Months and months ago I was involved in a small bumper to bumper accident. No harm was done to anything other than the cars and the other person involved was quite civil about the whole thing. We exchanged insurance information and went on our way.

The problem I had was not the actual accident (although I was pretty upset about the noises my car made afterwards) but what the panel beater did. I took my car to the panel beaters my insurance company told me to go to. No problem, they gave me a funny smelling courtesy car and told me to come back in a week, so I did.

When I came back my car had been fixed, yes. But it had also been turned into the advertisement car from hell. I threw a minor tantrum and had them remove the stickers that had appeared on the inside of my windows, the advertisement number plate frame around my rear numberplate, the ridiculous amount of pamphlets that had some how ended up in my glove box AND my boot AND under the chairs AND hanging off the rearview mirror. Also? They’d cleaned my car with something that smelt like my Granny’s old house.

Once it was all gone and the stickers had been scrapped off, the panel beater guy (who was left standing with all the crap I’d made him remove) had the balls to say that people ASKED for all this stuff. And with one withering glare I told that *I* had never asked him to turn my car into a driving adverstisment. And I left.

Jokes on me, though, because a few days ago I had parked up in a carpark so I could run across the road, and on my way back I saw that I’d missed one.

The front number plate had an advertisment frame. I’d been driving around for months and months completely unaware that I was endorsing this stupid arrogant panel beaters relationship with Albany Toyota. I don’t even DRIVE a Toyota!

Screw that, right then and there, in the middle of the car park I pried the damn thing off. My hands got covered in whatever grit cars have, and I had to break the plastic to get it off (which in turn, bent the plate a little) but dammit, my car was going to be advertising free.

And now? It is. Hurrah!

Last week the Fiba U19 Basketball World Champs started in New Zealand. The Boys dad was involved (I forget what he does. Something that needs a laptop and The Boys networking knowledge) and so we went along with some friends of ours to cheer the New Zealand team on.

The game we watched was against Croatia, and man I have to say that I admire their ability to come together and cheer their team on. They came in their hordes, in their red and white checked shirts with hats and flags and voices ready cheer. The NZ crowd was positively silent in comparison.

Croatia beat NZ, though we kept them going till the last quarter (in which we rather valiantly fell apart) but after they won the Croatian team paid tribute to their fans. They all stood arms around shoulders together on the far end of the court, the nearest they could get to their friends and family, and they sang their Croatian song. Their fans cheers and stamped and sang with their voices loud and hands waving and it was really a wonderful sight to see.

Once we got down from the stands and were walking out of the Stadium they were still cheering, and still so stoked with themselves. And for a moment, while they were towering over me, all muscles and facial hair, I remembered that these men were actually just boys, young kids who were 19 or under. It made more sense, that they would be more likely to put on such a happy display at a win, and acknowledge and pay tribute to their fans who came half way across the world to support them.

And I was sad, because the older they got, it seemed the less jubilant they would be at each win, the less likely they would be to don their countries flags like a cape, and sing and stamp and cheer to their fans. The less carefree about expressing how ecstatic they are, the less likely it was that I would see another team acknowledge their fans in such an honest, carefree way. I’ve never seen grown men act the way these boys did.

Still, New Zealand has their funny points, we sat in the general admission stands, and there were of young teenage kids sitting in front of us there to support their friend representing New Zealand. They cheered and hooted and started chants. When the opposition got a free throw facing our stand they’d all stand up and show their nipples, and do a funny little dance to put them off. It was pretty hilarious, and I enjoyed their antics, glad that someone was willing to put on a show and have a good time cheering on New Zealand.

It kind of made me realise how restrained we become as we get older. We cheer a little quieter, try a little harder to not make a spectacle of ourselves, we become very aware of what other people think of us, of what’s appropriate behaviour in public.

All in all, I have to say that it was the younger people at the U19 games that made the experience that much better. Maybe we should take a note from the younger generation and be a little more carefree, a little more enthusiastic, and cheer a little louder.

Every month smashingmagazine.com does a monthly calendar wallpaper, and I entered one my daily design doodles (that ended up being an etsy banner) in the July 2009 version.

I wondered why I was getting more hits than usual, and it’s because the July 2009 calendars are out!

Mine is a little more simple than some of the others (perhaps not so suited to a wallpaper . . .), but I’m pretty stoked to have something up there, and to see that some people liked it in the comments was pretty nice.

In terms of design I feel that I’ve got a craazy long way to go to be where I want to be, but the only way to get there is to keep trudging forward, so trudge on, I say! :)

When I arrive home after work, or at Barkley Manor to pick him up, Quinn does this funny little snuffle thing when he greets you. And he does the funny little snuffle thing because he’s trying to grin the biggest, cheesiest grin that you’ve ever seen on a funny little dog:

Now imagine his whole back end wriggling with the excitement of his little little tail and you have the best, most adorable, most likely to make you laugh greeter that you’ve ever met. :)

If you’ve been following my tweets, you’ll know that this past week and a half has been filled with a particularly horrid project that has sapped all enthusiasm, pride and respect for any kind of serious .NET Web development right out of my head and heart.

It’s been a mission trying to pair off pressure from the project manager about super tight deadlines (not her fault, really, we’d never used this technology in a campaign before so had no idea what would be required. It’s her job to meet the clients expectations, but I have to say the pressure was most unwelcome) and trying to put out quality code that was efficient and robust. In the end the deadline won out (it was late by half a day) and it’s not super efficient, nor especially robust but dammit it works, which is all that’s important. It does what it’s meant to.

But getting it to that point was a hard push that made me fairly miserable. I worked longer hours, squished moving into one day so I could work the weekend for a project that I despised more and more as time went on. I got through by cranking up the ipod volume and ploughing on ahead. But this post is not (meant to be) about the horridness of the past week because a few days ago I passed the stupid thing over for testing. I’m expecting it to be handed back, because nothing that’s developed that quickly will ever be as robust or as efficient or without errors as I want it to be. Still, let’s hope it comes back with only minor errors.

ANYWAY, since this last little while has been horrible I’ve been trying to actively appreciate the little things that are going on right now:

One: My fantastic friend Stevie has been kind enough to loan me his kick ass SLR. I haven’t been taking alot of photos lately, what with The Project of DOOM and the miserable weather (which I found completely appropriate) there hasn’t really been any opportunity for photo taking, other than some self-indulgent cam-whore photos (like above).

Two: It’s kind of ridiculous how easily I am distracted or cheered up by the silly little pup. He seems to know intuitively when it is time to play and be silly and when it is time for cuddles. I’m kind of amazed really, at how a moment of silliness makes everything seem a little less downcast.

Three: I know it’s stupid, but there is something about wearing a ridiculous hat with a bobble that just makes me feel better. It’s super woolly, and warm, and I’m totally loving it right now. In truth, it’s not even mine. I stole it from Sibling. But it is an AWESOME hat. If I could get away with it, I’d probably wear it into work.

What small things are you appreciating right now?

Way way back, like 5 years back, when I was staying in The Yellow House (a yellow farm house stuffed with foreigners) in Vermont, and I spent my days teaching rich snobby kids from Long Island how to snowboard (and also that skiing was dumb) I lived with a bunch of Argentinians. They were awesome, they were. They made gnocchi dinners from scratch, and drank that weird tea from a mug that’s half cup half pipe. And it appears that one of the cool things of that time was to be almost retro-crafty, particularly by crocheting cool hats. Always keen to learn something cool and kitsch, they gave me some wool and taught me how to crochet in lines, and I started a scarf.

Fast forward to now and that scarf has followed me unfinished across The States, through Australia and up and down New Zealand. Mostly it got packed away into that unnoticeable space at the back of my closet, and I’d forget about it for 6 months or so. And then I’d find it, make it a little longer, and run out of wool. And so back to the closet it went. When we moved things around some a week or two ago I re-found it, and picked it back up again. Unfortunately it appears that I’d forgotten a few things, because after a while I noticed that It was crocheting more of a triangle, than a rectangle. So I pulled about half of it apart and restarted.

Now, it’s longer than I am tall, and one end has tassels. And as it has become long enough to wear while I make it longer, so I do. It’s an easy thing to pick up occupy your hands while your thinking, or gossiping or whatever, I do it alot when I’m watching tv, or gossiping with Sibling.

I have to say that as frustrating as it was to have to pull it apart, I’m kind of proud at how long it is, how it’s almost scarf length now, and I love how every link, every line was one I made. It’s kind of nice to make a scarf out of something as mundane as a ball of wool, even if it does have it’s obviously-handmade kinks in it where I’ve missed a stitch or tried to compensate in an odd place. It’s also kinda of nice to be making a physical something with my hands, instead of mocking up a digital design, or developing a brand logo.

I am determined to finish it, and hopefully, one day soon it’ll be done. It’s custom here that when you start a new craft, that you give away the first result as a gift to show your thanks and appreciation to (I want to say ‘The Gods’ here, but I’m not sure if that’s right or not) whoever for allowing you the gift of skills and knowledge. I think I’ll give it to my Dad’s partner, she was kind enough to untangle the wool for me when I had to pull my scarf apart and I did it without any care or thought. Also, she loves the colour, and I like to think that she appreciates all the time and effort it takes into making a scarf like this. She would, I think. She’s spent enough time watching me make it.

Still, I have to finish it before I can give it away – hopefully it won’t take me another 5 years. :)