Sunday, 25 April 2010
Friday, 19 March 2010
Saturday, 13 February 2010
Slow Hands - Max Woodward
ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL91GoI6xrQ
An animated short film created by Max Woodward as the final project for the Diploma of Animation at Natcoll in Auckland, New Zealand.
An animated short film created by Max Woodward as the final project for the Diploma of Animation at Natcoll in Auckland, New Zealand.
Sunday, 10 January 2010
Wednesday, 6 January 2010
Saturday, 2 January 2010
Saturday, 26 December 2009
Saturday, 24 October 2009
Travel etiquette for Kiwi bludgers
12:00PM Friday Oct 23, 2009
By Tim Brown
Don't overstay your welcome as a guest in someone else's home. Photo / Supplied
Having just dropped another Kiwi houseguest to Los Angeles International Airport and screeched away from the curb with a moan of relief, I thought it time to write an etiquette advice column for Kiwi Bludgers - you know who you are - the ones with notebooks full of international addresses and wallets snapped in closed position.
In the 10 years my wife and I have lived in LA (I won't give our exact location or the bludgers will track us like heat-seeking missiles) we have probably had 100 people come to stay.
I'd have bought a pitbull and security camera but my wife is a pushover. She sees every inbound Air New Zealand 747 as filled with guests to nurture; I see conniving, tightfisted Wallys seeking beds.
Before I give some general advice I'll tell you what our bludgers have done in past years.
One couple told us three months in advance they'd be flying into LAX, gave us flight numbers with the presumption we would be there to greet them, and then we heard no more.
The day of the stated arrival we had a dinner party to go to and as the Kiwis could not cough up $10 to make a phone call confirming their plans, I said, "Stuff 'em. I'm not driving to the airport on the off-chance they show. Let's party!"
When we got home at 1am there was a note on our door from a neighbour: "Your New Zealand friends arrived. They are spending the night with us."
Well, I guess it beats forking out for a hotel ... but knocking on the door of a strange house at night and moving in, bags and all? God bless Americans!
Another guy came and stayed two weeks, with my wife ferrying him back and forth on the freeway to business appointments. He liked his booze and made impressive inroads through our cocktail cabinet, vacuumed out the refrigerator and, when we took him out for his last night to a Mexican restaurant, heroically assured me he would pay "half the bill".
Considering he drank three margaritas, half the bill was his anyway. My wife doesn't notice these things but I know exactly how much he had saved on hotels and food in the past 14 days. He was some schmuck.
Another bludger trick is they like seeing the inside of an American supermarket but when you're in the check-out line getting some food for their visit, they conveniently head to the restroom.
Bludgers sometimes (not always) arrive with a gift - a bag of Minties or a jar of Vegemite - which is held aloft like a velvet Tiffany's pouch - "look what we brought for you!"
Problem is, after 10 years in the States Vegemite smells like a morgue on the janitor's day off and Minties wreck havoc with our newly straightened and whitened American teeth. But gee ... thanks ... I guess.
Duty-free perfume for the wife would be nice or an All Blacks' shirt for the kids. Oh wait ... those cost more than $10 and the object of this visit is to save money, right?
I once had an email from a nervous mother, "my 18-year-old son is travelling through Los Angeles. Would you look after him?"
Look after him? You mean like check him for athlete's foot, make sure his fly is zipped or put him up?
I thought I'd call him at the YMCA and steer him towards some underage pubs but my wife said, "We'll let him stay."
The "kid", who resembled an overfed All Black prop, lay on my couch for three days watching MTV and when I suggested on day four he might want to move on to some friends in Seattle, he said he'd prefer another few days on my couch.
I hoisted him up by his shirt neck and drove him to the nearest train station. The kid was a Master Bludger.
Oh and how about the friends of friends? My wife's old boss has access to the New York Stock Exchange and lo and behold, she had a call from a Kiwi girlfriend, "we have some friends visiting New York, do you think your friend would give them a tour of the stock exchange?"
Seeing as this guy charges out at US$200 an hour, let's hope he got a jar of Vegemite.
Anyway, in brief, we are Kiwis, we love Kiwis, but we have lives to live as well and we do know when we are being used. Correction: I do; my wife doesn't have a clue.
Here is how an ideal houseguest should behave:
Give an arrival date and, more importantly, a departure date. It's unbelievable how many Kiwis call with an entry date to your home and no exit date at all.
Never stay more than three nights. Never. Not ever.
Offer to get a shuttle bus from the airport. I might pick you up but I resent the presumption that I will drive an hour there and an hour back, consuming half a tank of gas that I will not be recompensed for.
Get a rental car. In America only unemployed, heavily armed people use public transport, so hire a car and leave the house every day so your host can drink to excess in private.
Never begin a sentence with: "I have a friend coming to LA."
Open your bleeping wallet. Yes, we know everything costs twice as much in the US, but we have a family to feed too, so by the time we have driven you around, cooked your meals, taken you out to eat, you've saved about $500 and we are down $150 on gas and food. Take us out to dinner, order a Chateau Lafite and when the bill comes, don't duck out for a smoke.
In a nutshell: It's always nice to see you, mate, just pay your own bloody way, 72 hours is your limit, get yourself a set of wheels ... and thanks for the Vegemite.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/news/article.cfm?c_id=7&objectid=10604784&pnum=0
By Tim Brown
Don't overstay your welcome as a guest in someone else's home. Photo / Supplied
Having just dropped another Kiwi houseguest to Los Angeles International Airport and screeched away from the curb with a moan of relief, I thought it time to write an etiquette advice column for Kiwi Bludgers - you know who you are - the ones with notebooks full of international addresses and wallets snapped in closed position.
In the 10 years my wife and I have lived in LA (I won't give our exact location or the bludgers will track us like heat-seeking missiles) we have probably had 100 people come to stay.
I'd have bought a pitbull and security camera but my wife is a pushover. She sees every inbound Air New Zealand 747 as filled with guests to nurture; I see conniving, tightfisted Wallys seeking beds.
Before I give some general advice I'll tell you what our bludgers have done in past years.
One couple told us three months in advance they'd be flying into LAX, gave us flight numbers with the presumption we would be there to greet them, and then we heard no more.
The day of the stated arrival we had a dinner party to go to and as the Kiwis could not cough up $10 to make a phone call confirming their plans, I said, "Stuff 'em. I'm not driving to the airport on the off-chance they show. Let's party!"
When we got home at 1am there was a note on our door from a neighbour: "Your New Zealand friends arrived. They are spending the night with us."
Well, I guess it beats forking out for a hotel ... but knocking on the door of a strange house at night and moving in, bags and all? God bless Americans!
Another guy came and stayed two weeks, with my wife ferrying him back and forth on the freeway to business appointments. He liked his booze and made impressive inroads through our cocktail cabinet, vacuumed out the refrigerator and, when we took him out for his last night to a Mexican restaurant, heroically assured me he would pay "half the bill".
Considering he drank three margaritas, half the bill was his anyway. My wife doesn't notice these things but I know exactly how much he had saved on hotels and food in the past 14 days. He was some schmuck.
Another bludger trick is they like seeing the inside of an American supermarket but when you're in the check-out line getting some food for their visit, they conveniently head to the restroom.
Bludgers sometimes (not always) arrive with a gift - a bag of Minties or a jar of Vegemite - which is held aloft like a velvet Tiffany's pouch - "look what we brought for you!"
Problem is, after 10 years in the States Vegemite smells like a morgue on the janitor's day off and Minties wreck havoc with our newly straightened and whitened American teeth. But gee ... thanks ... I guess.
Duty-free perfume for the wife would be nice or an All Blacks' shirt for the kids. Oh wait ... those cost more than $10 and the object of this visit is to save money, right?
I once had an email from a nervous mother, "my 18-year-old son is travelling through Los Angeles. Would you look after him?"
Look after him? You mean like check him for athlete's foot, make sure his fly is zipped or put him up?
I thought I'd call him at the YMCA and steer him towards some underage pubs but my wife said, "We'll let him stay."
The "kid", who resembled an overfed All Black prop, lay on my couch for three days watching MTV and when I suggested on day four he might want to move on to some friends in Seattle, he said he'd prefer another few days on my couch.
I hoisted him up by his shirt neck and drove him to the nearest train station. The kid was a Master Bludger.
Oh and how about the friends of friends? My wife's old boss has access to the New York Stock Exchange and lo and behold, she had a call from a Kiwi girlfriend, "we have some friends visiting New York, do you think your friend would give them a tour of the stock exchange?"
Seeing as this guy charges out at US$200 an hour, let's hope he got a jar of Vegemite.
Anyway, in brief, we are Kiwis, we love Kiwis, but we have lives to live as well and we do know when we are being used. Correction: I do; my wife doesn't have a clue.
Here is how an ideal houseguest should behave:
Give an arrival date and, more importantly, a departure date. It's unbelievable how many Kiwis call with an entry date to your home and no exit date at all.
Never stay more than three nights. Never. Not ever.
Offer to get a shuttle bus from the airport. I might pick you up but I resent the presumption that I will drive an hour there and an hour back, consuming half a tank of gas that I will not be recompensed for.
Get a rental car. In America only unemployed, heavily armed people use public transport, so hire a car and leave the house every day so your host can drink to excess in private.
Never begin a sentence with: "I have a friend coming to LA."
Open your bleeping wallet. Yes, we know everything costs twice as much in the US, but we have a family to feed too, so by the time we have driven you around, cooked your meals, taken you out to eat, you've saved about $500 and we are down $150 on gas and food. Take us out to dinner, order a Chateau Lafite and when the bill comes, don't duck out for a smoke.
In a nutshell: It's always nice to see you, mate, just pay your own bloody way, 72 hours is your limit, get yourself a set of wheels ... and thanks for the Vegemite.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/news/article.cfm?c_id=7&objectid=10604784&pnum=0
Saturday, 10 October 2009
Thursday, 24 September 2009
Sir Howard Morrison
1:23PM Thursday Sep 24, 2009
By Yvonne Tahana, Herald Staff and NZPA
Sir Howard Morrison was born into a family renowned for his entertainment skills.
Actor Temuera Morrison has praised his uncle Sir Howard Morrison as a giant of the entertainment world.
Sir Howard died suddenly in Rotorua this morning, aged 74.
Temuera Morrison was today at Sir Howard's home at Ohinemutu on the shores of Lake Rotorua comforting his family.
"He was a big totara tree in the world of entertainment," Temuera Morrison told NZPA.
"Despite all his successes he was very close to his family. I am just feeling for them. I am here for Aunty Kuia (Sir Howard's widow), Donna, Richard and Howard junior."
Sir Howard's health had been "up and down" for quite some time, he said.
"But more recently he had been more up, so it's still a great shock for us all."
Family spokesman Monty Morrison will be releasing a statement at Tamatekapua Marae, Ohinemutu, this afternoon which will cover arrangements for Sir Howard's tangi and funeral.
Sir Howard lived virtually next door to that marae, the premier marae of Te Arawa, and his knighthood was conferred on him there by Governor-General Sir Paul Reeves in 1990.
Sir Howard's family confirmed the singer's death to the Herald this morning, saying he had become ill while visiting Rarotonga last week.
His condition had not improved since his return a few days ago.
The Herald understands that Sir Howard's son and daughter had taken a group to the Cook Islands on an educational tour.
Click here for great Sir Howard Morrison video moments
Prime Minister John Key was among those today paying tribute to Sir Howard.
"Sir Howard was a New Zealand success story. From humble beginnings he became an international success, first with the Howard Morrison Quartet, and then in an illustrious solo career," Mr Key said.
"But more than that, Sir Howard was one of New Zealand's best loved entertainers, his appeal spanning every age group.
Showbiz family
Of mixed Te Arawa and Irish ancestry, Sir Howard was born in 1935 into a Rotorua family renowned for its entertainment skills.
His mother was Kahu Morrison (nee Gertrude Harete Davidson), who cut her own record and was a cornerstone of Maori culture and entertainment both nationally and internationally.
His son Howard Junior and daughter Donna are entertainers in their own right. Acclaimed actor Temuera Morrison is a nephew, while rising singing star Elizabeth Marvelly is a niece.
Sir Howard grew up in Rotorua and in Ruatahuna - near Waikaremoana - where his father Temuera Morrison, a Maori All Black, was working for the Maori Affairs Department.
By Yvonne Tahana, Herald Staff and NZPA
Sir Howard Morrison was born into a family renowned for his entertainment skills.
Actor Temuera Morrison has praised his uncle Sir Howard Morrison as a giant of the entertainment world.
Sir Howard died suddenly in Rotorua this morning, aged 74.
Temuera Morrison was today at Sir Howard's home at Ohinemutu on the shores of Lake Rotorua comforting his family.
"He was a big totara tree in the world of entertainment," Temuera Morrison told NZPA.
"Despite all his successes he was very close to his family. I am just feeling for them. I am here for Aunty Kuia (Sir Howard's widow), Donna, Richard and Howard junior."
Sir Howard's health had been "up and down" for quite some time, he said.
"But more recently he had been more up, so it's still a great shock for us all."
Family spokesman Monty Morrison will be releasing a statement at Tamatekapua Marae, Ohinemutu, this afternoon which will cover arrangements for Sir Howard's tangi and funeral.
Sir Howard lived virtually next door to that marae, the premier marae of Te Arawa, and his knighthood was conferred on him there by Governor-General Sir Paul Reeves in 1990.
Sir Howard's family confirmed the singer's death to the Herald this morning, saying he had become ill while visiting Rarotonga last week.
His condition had not improved since his return a few days ago.
The Herald understands that Sir Howard's son and daughter had taken a group to the Cook Islands on an educational tour.
Click here for great Sir Howard Morrison video moments
Prime Minister John Key was among those today paying tribute to Sir Howard.
"Sir Howard was a New Zealand success story. From humble beginnings he became an international success, first with the Howard Morrison Quartet, and then in an illustrious solo career," Mr Key said.
"But more than that, Sir Howard was one of New Zealand's best loved entertainers, his appeal spanning every age group.
Showbiz family
Of mixed Te Arawa and Irish ancestry, Sir Howard was born in 1935 into a Rotorua family renowned for its entertainment skills.
His mother was Kahu Morrison (nee Gertrude Harete Davidson), who cut her own record and was a cornerstone of Maori culture and entertainment both nationally and internationally.
His son Howard Junior and daughter Donna are entertainers in their own right. Acclaimed actor Temuera Morrison is a nephew, while rising singing star Elizabeth Marvelly is a niece.
Sir Howard grew up in Rotorua and in Ruatahuna - near Waikaremoana - where his father Temuera Morrison, a Maori All Black, was working for the Maori Affairs Department.
Sir Howard's funeral on Tuesday, public tangi tomorrow
Sir Howard Morrison is to be laid to rest at Rotorua's Kauae Cemetery on Tuesday, following a funeral service scheduled for 11am that morning.
He will be buried alongside members of his whanau.
In line with his family's wishes he will lie at his Ohinemutu home on the shores of Lake Rotorua tonight before being carried the few metres to Tamatekapua, the premier meeting house of Te Arawa, where his public tangi will be held tomorrow from about 10am.
Tuesday was chosen for his farewell to allow his numerous relatives and friends from overseas the opportunity to say goodbye.
Family spokesman Temuera Morrison said his uncle's farewell would be a "huge celebration of a great life".
"Uncle would like it like that. He had the great ability to see celebration in everything. This is the way he wanted to go."
He said it had already become obvious that Sir Howard was a very popular man.
"So many accolades are already flowing in - the phone is ringing red hot."
His uncle had died peacefully in bed at his own home.
"He's got a little smile on his face."
Morrison said a number of Ohinemutu residents had noted that a "funny kind of surreal mist" had been hanging over the village at the time of Sir Howard's passing.
"Maybe he hopped on that, crossed the waters (of Lake Rotorua) and visited Mokoia Island as he started his great journey onward."
As well as having a beautiful voice Sir Howard always had an element of cheek about him, Morrison said.
He liked to `sus' people out to see where they were coming from.
He was very charismatic, performing everywhere. He had a remarkable following and the special gift of feeling an audience as he worked his way to his crescendo.
After his own father's death, members of his immediate family had been guided by their uncle Howard, Morrison said.
"He held a kind of awe for us, there was this mystique about him, but to us he was a father figure guiding us to stand on our own feet and hold our own."
He had fond memories of his uncle returning from a trip to the East with toy machine guns for young whanau members to play with.
"Things popped out the back - they had all the gears, we'd never seen anything like it."
He said as well as his Rotorua roots through the iwi of Te Arawa and its Ngati Whakaue hapu, Sir Howard had strong links with the Tuhoe, spending most of his early years in the Ureweras.
Sir Howard had a close affiliation with his home village of Ohinemutu and only recently sung at the Rotorua RSA to raise funds for St Faith's church and Whakaturia whare kai (dining room).
His cousin, Monty Morrison, said it had been a huge honour to have one of its own knighted. Tribal members were preparing to welcome guests from throughout the country.
Among the first to pay tribute and extend condolences was Dame Malvina Major with whom sir Howard had frequently sung and toured.
Sir Howard's family were aware of the number of heartfelt tributes pouring onto websites in recognition of his great talent.
"They are very touched. It is very warming, very heartening," Monty Morrison said.
- NZPA
He will be buried alongside members of his whanau.
In line with his family's wishes he will lie at his Ohinemutu home on the shores of Lake Rotorua tonight before being carried the few metres to Tamatekapua, the premier meeting house of Te Arawa, where his public tangi will be held tomorrow from about 10am.
Tuesday was chosen for his farewell to allow his numerous relatives and friends from overseas the opportunity to say goodbye.
Family spokesman Temuera Morrison said his uncle's farewell would be a "huge celebration of a great life".
"Uncle would like it like that. He had the great ability to see celebration in everything. This is the way he wanted to go."
He said it had already become obvious that Sir Howard was a very popular man.
"So many accolades are already flowing in - the phone is ringing red hot."
His uncle had died peacefully in bed at his own home.
"He's got a little smile on his face."
Morrison said a number of Ohinemutu residents had noted that a "funny kind of surreal mist" had been hanging over the village at the time of Sir Howard's passing.
"Maybe he hopped on that, crossed the waters (of Lake Rotorua) and visited Mokoia Island as he started his great journey onward."
As well as having a beautiful voice Sir Howard always had an element of cheek about him, Morrison said.
He liked to `sus' people out to see where they were coming from.
He was very charismatic, performing everywhere. He had a remarkable following and the special gift of feeling an audience as he worked his way to his crescendo.
After his own father's death, members of his immediate family had been guided by their uncle Howard, Morrison said.
"He held a kind of awe for us, there was this mystique about him, but to us he was a father figure guiding us to stand on our own feet and hold our own."
He had fond memories of his uncle returning from a trip to the East with toy machine guns for young whanau members to play with.
"Things popped out the back - they had all the gears, we'd never seen anything like it."
He said as well as his Rotorua roots through the iwi of Te Arawa and its Ngati Whakaue hapu, Sir Howard had strong links with the Tuhoe, spending most of his early years in the Ureweras.
Sir Howard had a close affiliation with his home village of Ohinemutu and only recently sung at the Rotorua RSA to raise funds for St Faith's church and Whakaturia whare kai (dining room).
His cousin, Monty Morrison, said it had been a huge honour to have one of its own knighted. Tribal members were preparing to welcome guests from throughout the country.
Among the first to pay tribute and extend condolences was Dame Malvina Major with whom sir Howard had frequently sung and toured.
Sir Howard's family were aware of the number of heartfelt tributes pouring onto websites in recognition of his great talent.
"They are very touched. It is very warming, very heartening," Monty Morrison said.
- NZPA
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