Poptart

So, I'm about to sign for the two bedroom apartment that I saw on Monday. So very exciting!

Imagine polished wood floors, exposed bricks and floor to ceiling windows and a view of the city. High spec kitchen and a modern bathroom.

Got that?

Well, that is not my new place LOL.

It's pretty decent though, and it's 50 years newer than my current house (which was built in the early 1900s). Move in date is to be confirmed, probably mid-July. The boyfriend has yet to see it! We drove past tonight and he liked the outside, so that's a start. His one concern is parking, as there is no off-street parking (garage or carport) and on-street parking is not guaranteed. So, the next few weeks will be busy organising the move. Fun times.

This flat hunting business is so depressing.

There are some fantastic places that I just love, like this. But we can't afford to spend that much a week on rent. Actually we probably could, we're both earning good money, but I don't want to spend over $1000 a fortnight on rent while trying to save money for a deposit to buy our own place. If we spent that much money on rent, we'd have to go without certain things... like food LOL.

Then the rest of the flats available at the moment are really awful, dark, dingy and rundown. I know I'll have to compromise (perhaps a new kitchen isn't a "need to have" and is more of a "would be nice"?). I do know that I need a decent bathroom, I can't cope with mouldy manky shower stalls. Gag.

So I'll keep going on my quest to find the perfect flat. I hope it doesn't take too long. Of course, it would take less time if I had someone to help me, but that doesn't seem likely. Hopefully I'll have a place to live by the end of this week.

UPDATE, 9.20pm: Well, I may have a flat! The three people I put down as references on an application for an apartment were contacted today by the property management company! Woohoo. I liked this apartment (two bedroom, spacious, new bathroom, big kitchen) but didn't think we'd get very far as they had HEAPS of people at the viewing on the weekend. I haven't heard from the guy at the property management company yet, so fingers crossed! We could have a new flat by tomorrow.

Apologies for the lack of posts lately, it's been rather crazy around here with so much going on at work and home. I like being busy, I seem to get more done when I've got more to do (if that makes sense LOL).

My new project is to find a new place to live. My current flat has been sold and the new owner will take vacant possession in 6 weeks. So, I've spent the past two Saturdays trawling the to let section in the Dominion Post (and the rental property section on Trade Me) looking for a new flat/apartment. It would be easier if I had my boyfriend helping, but he's taken a total disinterest in it. Which is really frustrating. But hey, if he doesn't want any input now, then he has NO right to complain about the new place I find LOL.

I saw the new David Beckham Emporio Armani ad the other day...

Sigh, just lovely.

Speaking of lovely, I have a new All Black crush. I mean, Dan Carter and Richie McCaw will always be special to me, but Richard Kahui has knocked them down one spot. Talk about hot. Not that I watch the rugby just to perve at the men (okay, I do mostly LOL).

I finally saw the Sex and the City movie this week. I really enjoyed it. I love Samantha, she had some great scenes and quotes.

I also saw Brick Lane, which for all intents and purposes is my kind of film but I really didn't enjoy it at all (which surprised my friends that I was with as they all loved it LOL).

So this week, more house hunting (am seeing a place tomorrow) and a busy work schedule.

I don't know what's worse, this hangover or the fact that we (my boyfriend and I) spent nearly $700 this weekend. Ouch.

We had friends come from Ireland (for a holiday and to watch Ireland play the All Blacks) and we spent all weekend with them. Lots of laughs, lots of food and momentous amount of booze consumed.

I haven't been out drinking like that for months, in fact the last big night out was probably in 2007 LOL. Friday night we were all out until 4am, last night the rugby (where four small beers cost over $20! Talk about ripoff) then we hit the pubs and when sufficiently boozed up, we hit a few clubs. So much fun, dancing and singing on the dancefloor (we went to clubs that actually play music you can sing along and dance to, none of that stupid fucking dance music nonsense LOL). I know my boyfriend was pretty smashed, he doesn't normally drag me onto the dance floor like that LOL. We got home around 4am again. Nasty. I was so drunk that I didn't really get undressed to get in bed, just took shoes and jeans off and slept in my tops LOL.

I've just pulled out the receipts from my purse and checked our bank accounts and yeah, $600-odd bucks spent, really easy apparently. I know I drink a lot and I know my boyfriend can put back a few bevvies too, and when we get together with our friends from Dublin (who seriously, can drink like they're competing for an Olympic medal) we obviously have no impulse control LOL.

Though I suppose after the craptastic week I have had with my family dramas, we both probably needed some kind of boozy fun. So now we're both lying on the couch (he's on his watching a surfing DVD). The boyfriend didn't even get up until 10.30 or so, which is unheard of! Especially because it is a gorgeous sunny blue sky winter day out there and he always wants to go and do something outdoors on days like this. I can count on one finger the number of times he's slept in. I'm the lazy slothful one in the relationship LOL. He must be suffering. We're meant to be having lunch with the Irish friends soon, so I suppose I should drag my hungover self into the shower and get ready. Ugh.

I'm watching a BBC documentary on television right now - Painted Babies at 17.

It's pretty horrific, I find something quite disturbing about these child pageants. Something a bit wrong with parading around these young children covered in make up (including false eyelashes and fake teeth), tacky clothes and singing songs with lyrics that are quite adult, a bit sexual. It's bizarre, freakish and weirdly patriotic.

The first documentary followed two girls aged 5, Brooke and Asia...



This follow-up film picks up 12 years later. Brooke no longer competes, Asia is still competing (accompanied by her pushy stage nana and mum). The pageants are still disturbing, tacky rhinestone-covered and funnily enough, still have the same MC singing bad "love" songs to the shellac-haired contestants. Ugh.

What's also weird about these pageants (apart from the hair, the clothes, the make up, the excessive use of fake crystals) is that the parents of these girls are completely unaware that their children have no talent! The scene with Asia singing so out of tune had me in hysterics LOL.

Thanks for all the positive comments and emails, I really appreciate them. It has been a difficult few days, but we're all coping and getting on with life. I have to say I'm thankful for the three-day weekend!

I've spent the weekend just relaxing and chilling out (chillaxing?), reading, pottering around the house, eating and watching TV. I even got to use the remote control and watch the E! channel uninterrupted and I didn't once turn to a sports channel. Obviously because my boyfriend was away for the weekend LOL.

A lot of the E! channel coverage has been about the Sex and the City movie, unfortunately it'll be another week before I can see it here - I've been avoiding spoilers and reviews online because I don't want to know what happens.

I am a big Sex and the City fan, every week I would get together with my friends and we'd watch it. For the final episode, we went all out. We hired a private room at a bar, and hooked the large screen TV to watch the show. Just like you would if it was a sporting event or something. It was quite sad when it ended, but, you know, life goes on.

So, the movie picks up 4 years after the series ended, life for the four characters has moved on and changed. It made me think about my SATC watching friends and how we've changed in three/four years.

Friend 1 - got married, had two kids, is contemplating a third
Friend 2 - moved to Auckland, met a French-based Irishman, moved to Paris
Friend 3 - got married, had a baby, had an affair, got divorced
Friend 4 - moved to Sydney, made a lot of money, engaged to banker
Friend 5 - Gave up lucrative career to go back to university, just graduated with her Masters last week!

As for me? Nothing has changed. I'm still living in the same house, in a relationship with the same man. Oh, I've changed jobs, but everything else is just the same. Well, obviously the latest family drama has changed things, but not really. My life is pretty much the same. Damn, why can't I met a hunky bloke and get whisked to live in Paris? LOL