Sorrentos in the park: One Tree Hill.

My first school ball.....from a teacher's perspective.

$30 - tickets (including meal and entertainment)

Kia Ora New Zealand!

An hour in front of the mirror curling and powdering and brushing and stressing.....
Then off went a first year teacher to her first James Cook High School ball.
It was quite a plesant night that will always be remembered. It wasn't just the food and the good music though that really stood out for me, it was the fact that James Cook really represented our school and was on their absolute BEST behaviour. Apparently it has been this way for years. Congratulations to them indeed!

These were the things that were really creative and most memorable:
1. The pot luck dinner
2. The polaroid stand
3. The great company

I had a blast!

Something that really made the night was the polarloid stand. It's basically a grand (don't quote me on that) to hire a polaroid display for a few hours and students can line up and take 4 consecutive photos (8max) in polaroid fashion - which means snap snap snap snap and walk away with your rectangular photo, drying in your hands.

The food - was fabulous too. Nothing on a restaurant, however, I really enjoyed trying different bits and pieces ....one in particular was a well presented lasagne. Yummmmm!

I decided not to write my blog in the normal structure and tone as I usually would because,
a. I'm still hyped and in awe from the night
and b. sometimes it's nice just to leave a quick note and photos of a great moment in your life.

So here's my moment -I have found myself snuggling into my school quite well this term....
and well if you see in the picture, I'm not going anywhere.

Ha ha

Ka kite.

Xx

Tovah

Bitchin' Bingo - Take Two

So Tovah finally convinced me to get my butt to Bitchin' Bingo and I'm glad I went!

At first I was anxious and still in school brain mode so wasn't quite up for the challenge of talking to adults let alone thinking about making sure I was stabbing the bingo card with the pen when my numbers were called out! Luckily enough I had my good friend Tovah to help me along to make sure I was taking the right numbers down.

First up, the lady - Miss Bitchin bingo herself- gave me a set of bingo cards which were a set of 10 rounds stapled together. Colour coded.of course! The bingo itself is free and there was a huge turn out. I ordered a pizza- it was too delicious and I was too starving to take any pictures!!

I at first was a little disgusted at the language just because I'd just come from school. Though I soon got used to it and my confusion was overcome by laughter. Now I'm not a conservative person I am quite liberal and so most of the jokes I did enjoy and understood. There were quite a few about our esteemed leader which were quite funny and incredibly accurate. Which is what we needed after being told the government backed down!

Of note there was a man who tied in one round with another man and was expected to do the poi off. Now I believe that was the best way to solve a problem I had ever seen. Not only did the man back down and the other man win the prize but the embarrassment on the cowards wife's face was priceless. Who would want to be married to someone who wouldn't even give it a go!!

Anyway, our team really wanted to win a prize and we did. Two actually. A $30 bar tab for my new friend Camille and a dinner for two to Wagamama for me! So lookout for that post later on.

I was happy overall with the night, spent $17.50 for the pizza and won a prize my first time going. Also, to top it all off, I made some new friends and had some adult laughs.

I would definitely reccommend coming along to Cassette Nine for Bitchin' Bingo every second Wednesday. Hopefully see you, our loyal followers there!!

Yours as always,
Alex

Warming up with the cold weather...

At Ronnie's with Nana and Nicholas in little old Morrinsville. The service is always impeccable and the food remains at its highest standard.

Nicholas says that the American Hotdogs are "Always tasty" and Nana says that "When she (the business owner) makes it (her coffee) it is always good."

My hot chocolate is foamy and chocolatey as it should be. With marshmellows on the side. Not one but two!

So come on down to Ronnie's , whether you are going through or staying for a while. What a treat!

Volare Italian Restaurant: The Gardens in Manurewa.

I learned something today: A popular acronym created by teens.YOLO - You only live once.... Why is it that kids want to portray themselves as wise, yet never ever want to take on board any advice whatsoever?
And why is it that I bunked English lessons so many times in high school and yet found myself teaching the dam thing barely hitting ten years later?

Kia Ora New Zealand!

Well speaking of English teachers (the reason why I brought it up) !
I had the pleasure of wining and dining with my colleagues tonight and my my wasn't it a treat.
Unfortunately the only good part of the night was the company and good humour between friends.
The dinner, although pleasurable by some, was not on my favourites list.
"Volare" Itatlian Restaurant in Manurewa.

I didn't not have any problem with the meal. It was just plain. I was rather excited to find myself in a Italian restaurant, however as my friend put it in the best way possible "it was another night gorging at lonestar".
The meals were very Americanised. Standard $30 meals with potato and boiled veges as a side.
I wasn't satisfied, to be blatant.

The service however was great. The restaurant, although small, had nearly every table filled. They had two waitresses and a bar tender that remembered exactly what drinks I ordered prior and requested whether I'd like another. Impressed.

Awkward eating moment:
One of our support staff sat across from me and orderrd the same meal as I did. Mine arrived with a herb leaf as garnish, hers included 6 pieces of possible onion strips on top. They tastes like onion skins and in all honesty, because of the lack of flavour, the texture and the size - I think they were!
Onion skin garnish.....a crowd pleaser,yeah....? Nah.
A quick run down of the atmosphere was that there were a few memorabilia of "The Godfather" alongside a golden-faced replica. The walls were painted red and the tables were set out with most places including space to move about. The place I was sitting was nearest to the window, so I had the draft and lack of space as another negative side of tonight. No Italian music played. All they had was a projector playing music television above us, but on mute. Not particualrly amazing, although I was in Manurewa.

I did however appreciate the "quotes" that differed on each menu.
“Cheese - Milk's leap toward immortality.” Clifton Fadiman

I was greatful to accept this meal being paid for entirely by my boss. She's an awesome woman to have for a boss.
But tonight, I am afraid to say, I was more satisfied with the company than the meal.

All in all though, I had fun. Wouldn't return on my own account however.

Rating:
Service: 8
Food and Drink: 6 1/2
Atmosphere: 7 1/2

A free meal could have well costed me $36.50
This paid for:
2 x drinks
1 x meal

Tovah

CELSIUS BOTANY: Daughter 'n' Dad Review

Celsius - Botany Downs. A special blog from a daughter and a dad...
1st June: A great start to Winter, I'd say!

Estimate prices: $22-$30
Amount we spent: $102.90

Kia Ora New Zealand!

I am half way through 7 days and 7 nights without my partner, at the moment, so I am feeling somewhat stressed and lonely...My school work is beginning to pile up and I am appreciating the idea of having Monday off (Queen's birthday).
With tense shoulders, droopy eye lids and the absolute urge to superglue myself into my bed, I felt it was an absolute pleasure to have my dad stay with me over the weekend.
We decided to check online for restaurants near my area, however nothing seemed appetising.
Each day I drive passed Botany downs and I always find myself glaring into Celsius the same way a dog tries to cram their nose out of a window, that is only partially down, just to get a good whiff of air.
Now because of this blog, I decided I would take Dad there. I have done well to push myself into new experiences. So much so, karma rewarded me with a lovely experience wining and dining at Celsius.

When you first enter Celsius it's entrance is on the side of the bar, therefore you feel secluded from the grotty old pub next door....I wonder if that was intentional.....?

You are greeted by 4 sections of the bar that share the same vibe, relaxed! The pub at the foreground, a pool table to the right, restaurant to the left and a sectioned off balcony area for the smokers.

The ambience was my sister's bedroom. If you knew her well it'd encompass paintings with vine like designs, similar to ones you see now-a-days on bedding.
In other words, a home of an artist. The ceiling wore 8 pairs of earings. That dropped in the shape of (as Dad put it best) sculptured moons. They attracted me first. This was because the light sat inside the globes, yet peaked through interesting patterns that looked like whirling leaves.
I particularly enjoyed the fact each section of the bar was raised or lowered to show which area was which. Where we sat was interesting because it was right on the edge of the restaurant section; therefore because we were raised higher than the bar, it felt like we were on an inside balcony.
The restaurant was not cramped, although with more people dining in, my thoughts could've changed.

The waitress was efficient. She definitely needed to be running a restaurant and I think because of this vibe, she may have been disgruntled about being out front. She seemed to have 'ticking time bomb' mannerisms.
She did her job and even gave us complimentary wedges, but she didn't seem to have the personality for waitressing. However, she could have just had a bad night. I understand completely, my week has been shitty. But tonight made it all worth while, so some of that would have been thanks to her.

Downside: They need an automatic door! (Suggested by Dad) The cold AND SMOKE rushes in...and that's not like a lingering effect. It honestly rushes in like I'm a rugby ball and 15 players are coming for me.
Twice I got up, walked across the room and closed the sliding door. You could tell the others in the restaurant appreciated this as they did so too, after my first attempt to keep in the heat.
Hurry up and ban smoking NZ - this is really becoming a pain in my ass.

Food for thought:
I ordered a salad. How typical of a female. But what actually caught my eye was: Lamb salad with onion rings......Odd huh?
DELICIOUS! In all forms, just beautiful. It included spinach, tomato and feta drenched in this amazing sweet sauce. All flavours complimented each other and my mouth was in love. I would definitely buy that again!
Another special was presented to us: Buy two house wines, get the bottle free. It was called Jagged Ridge.
Not too bad. Seemed a bit cheap... Reminded me of Jacob's Creek.

The desert was great as well. We ordered a desert for two, which meant you got a third desert free if you order this. So we received berry crem brulee (for Dad), Almond fudge brownie with ginger nut Kapiti ice cream and the third one free was a bunch of hand picked chocolates. Very very impressive !
The desert came out on a long rectangular plate, so we picked at it with our tea spoons - even though we were given two extra plates.
All in all....
The colours, decoration and even time management was efficient. I would honestly give this place a 9/10.

Dad's verdict:
I thought the TV's were annoying. They didn't match the place.
It was nicely set out though. Absolutely stunning bar maid. If I had a ferrari, she would've gone for me (don't worry he wasn't serious).
The food was beautiful. The chicken was slightly tough but the food was great. Compliments to the chefs.
The price was reasonable for what you got, which was: Chicken breast and gnocchi with other cheesy extras.
This was the first time I tried gnocchi and I really liked it.
Suppose next time I have it, it'll be terrible ha ha.
As for desert I was enthusiastic about the crem brulee. This was also my first time eating crem brulee.
It had a great texture with a mixture of different berries on top. I'd definitely get it again.
My rating would be 8/10

Of course I can never review a place without something random happening....

Fasicinating moment: Adding a wing bone (with no meat on it) to the chicken breast to make it look interesting.. (WE BOTH FOUND THAT HILARIOUS!)
It was attached by a piece of chicken skin. The poor thing looked out of place but however not so plain.
It was great as a talking point and made us laugh.

I would go again, and because it was down the road, I probably will!

Experience: 8/10
Food: 9/10
Price: 9/10

Tovah Xx