MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Ho Ho Ho HO!!!

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year...!!

My sweetie brought me a teddy from the Teddy Factory he did (we had a major issuse trying to get presents for each other - i mean for starters we havent known each other that long...and Simon always threw tanties when I wanted time to myself to go shopping...doesnt help sharing my car, and him living with me temporary while his parents are away on holiday and waiting to move into their new house in the new year!) - But we had looked at these teddy's the other day....and had a day with mum while I let him go out shopping with my car to get presents. He had it gift wrapped at the Mall so that I didnt see it or anything.

I got him a teeshirt - which he knew about and some board shorts...and a matchbox car - a Transam Firebird (since he owns one and is meant to be restoring it - it has travelled with him from the UK). Simon also got me undies (which i had picked out). And mum got me a couple of teeshirts that I had picked out. I also got presents from Simon's family which I wasnt expecting at all - a large photo frame, some scrapbooking paper and chocolate....Simon also had a stash of present from his family as well as from his family back home in the UK.

We spoilt mum rotten slightly with a teeshirt she had shown us she liked (I know the style of tops she likes..) and a massage pillow and a new memory card for her camera and a memory card reader and lastly a framed photo of us together outside my work from my work's xmas party. I really want to get a new food process but we will have a look at the boxing day sales..!

My nephews got matchbox cars too - and my nieces got clothes, I got meggan a DIY art kit. And for Michael's Birthday we got him a Magic set (he had a magician at his kindy on his last day and he LOVED it). Even Abby got presents - she got a rawhide xmas cracker from Aunty Sue next door..! We gave her a calander which I hunted down all over for - it has siamese cats on it. Which is the breed of cats she breeds.  

We had Lunch at my aunty's house where I got a few more bits and pieces...smellies and stuff like that. My step mum and dad had given me a fondant set as just spoilt me over with fudge and candy like always..! It was a lovely day all in all.



Happy 5th Birthday Michael!!!

Happy 5th Birthday to my Nephew Michael...!!!

I cant believe your now going to be at school next year..!! You have grown up so much, and you blow me away everyday with your learning and the things you say and do...!

Also....

Happy Birthday Dave Hibberd...!!! Simon's dad also has his birthday on Xmas Day too along with my nephew. Hope you have a great day, and so sorry we cant be there to celebrate with you, no doubt we will get there when you all come back to Auckland and move into your new house..!!

Christmas Goodie Bags

I cant believe how fast the year has gone or what things I have done this year...!! Its almost Christmas - in like ohhhh TWO HOURS and mum decided as a last minute thing to go with the kids presents to make some goodie bags with lollies and stuff in them. We also made a couple of my younger cousin - just not with the toppers on them.

They contain:

• Chocolate Marshmallow Santas
• Christmas Tree Shape Marshmellows
• Lollipops
• Christmas Fruit Flavoured Jelly Beans.

I topped these little bags off with a bit of My Minds Eye paper in festive colours and made a little embellishment for on them. A quick fun and easy idea for the young ones....or older..!

Christmas Cards and Gift Tags

Me and Simon got cracking into make some Xmas Cards, getting a bit late to send them out, but then we dont really get many anymore like we use too in the past.

I brought some embellishments from Spotlight for on them, I wasnt overly impressed that there wasnt much out in terms of Xmas stuff like there use to be a few years ago. I hate how you have something visualized in your head and just cant find the things for it - or you find them AFTER your alternative made your project....!

These stars had little circles on top of them to make them look like ornaments I guess but we cut them off and glued them onto the centre of the cards - this was a bit of a mission as they have alot of glitter on them and wouldnt stick down with most glues and tapes I tried, we eventaully tried modge podge and had to use the heat gun to set them. I then had to track down bling to go on the cards, I ran out of star brads and couldnt find them anywhere in the size or colour i needed - I found gold stars in the size i wanted...I found silver stars in a bigger size, spotlight had none at all, infact they seemed to have them all on clearance and at that i couldnt find any in their clearance lots. So I ended up getting some Karen Foster brads with rhinestones in them and changed all my cards around (so these photos are a little out of date, they show them with the original brad I had used for the first few cards - I ended up taking all these brads off and replacing them with the new ones I got - because I only had a few of these stars left in my supply.) I got a Cuttlebug Embossing folder with snowflakes on it to do the background and inked over the paper after I had embossed it.

 

We also made some matching Gift Tags to go on our presents (my tree colour has been for a few years running now Blue and Silver and I ALWAYS wrap our present to match this colour too).

Simon wanted to make a Xmas Card for his Aunt in England - it was designed to make her jealous he said she use to make them, infact he went into this whole thing about how when she gets the card she will probably ask me to start making cards for her...sadly we never sent this card off, he liked it to much that he didnt want to give it...his whole vision for it was another one like the one he made for his mum's birthday the other week - that whle front room sort of feel with a xmas tree, window, photo frames. Simon was actually busy changing light fittings in my scrapbook room while I was making this card so he was partly relying on me to do a good job and i was relying on him to tell me what colours and stuff he wanted, we did eventualy make it together - for example we had a tree drawing contest and mine sadly didnt make the cut, his tree did. Competitive arent we?? He wanted this card to be bigger than your adverage size card also....perhaps another reason why we havent sent it off cause we dont have anything to put it into!

Lastly is a card Simon made all by himself with no input from me, or me really knowing about it, he had attacked my stash...and was playing with the hot glue gun too.

My Graduation!!

Well today I walked down with all the other graduates at the Aotea Centre into the Auditorium, where I walked up onto the stage, was capped on my shoulder by the vice chancellor of Auckland University of Technology and I was handed over my DIPLOMA IN HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT!!

I look back at the last 2.5 yrs - I think of how my programmed leader Kate Payne said because I suffered from depression in the first few weeks of my life at AUT that I would crash and burn, and become a train wreck, that she strongly adviced I drop out there and then. Then a few weeks or so later saying how I had to pick one of the other - Work or University - a silly thing to say given I had to be working in order to actually get my Diploma it was one of the clauses in it that you had to have 300hrs work experience...! I proved her wrong ever damn time I handed in an assignment, sure I had a few extensions and a few special passes - I suffered a few deaths during my time at University, I had alot of stress I changed employers halfway through, I lost a job due to the recession and I got a new job - which Kate Payne CLEARLY was not happy with me working at the Langham in her whole little stint of trying to tell them I was wearing their uniform around University - to make things easier at work I agreed that yes I did when I hadnt...just so happened to be wearing profession clothes similar to their uniform during my training - and stated I was aware of the policies to make it all go away. (Im sorry but the only relationship you were distroying was the one YOU lacked with me and everyone else for that fact....not me distroying the University's relationship with my place of employment!! Pure jealousy there.)

I had a case of being done for abuse to another student, when really this girl was just as abusive towards me - and look where she is now.....she dropped out not long after that semester...!! She wasnt even serious or interested in Hospitality..! She was working in CLOTHING RETAIL!

And when the light at the end of the tunnel arrived finally in sight I came to a very bumpy part in my joruney where my amazing programme leader made just one last stack at me and penalising me for one of HER students copying MY assignment that i handed in before they did....perhaps he wouldnt have needed to ask for help had his lecturer done a more better job at being open, understanding and helpful towards students esp those with english as a second language and in a very intense paper which involved alot of components. I lost my A+ I had riding on that assignments and over all paper grade with thanks to my PL....it was sad to hear my lecturer was not aware of what had happened...and that none of really have been told what happened fully and just what was copied...if anything was copied at that...!! I doubt it very much so....I dont think someone like that I put my blood, sweat and tears into that report - and did really well on it...

Well you know what?? I made it...I graduated and NO ONE was going to stop me....there was no way I would give up no matter how many people doubted I would make it, I had double if not triple the support and close relationships formed from people who really saw my talents.

So hear I am - a Graduate from AUT University...it wasnt easy...but I made it! AND I deserve it! Not only that, but I did it for my SON...who I love and miss with all my heart, he gave up his life to give me a second chance, for me to be able to do this.....he was who kept me going in those dark moments when I just wanted to give up. He was who inspired me....not only that but I did it for myself and for the advancement of my career.

RIP Ajith Perera

I want to pass on my condolences to Ajith Perera's family during this time for their loss of a wonderful husband, father, lecturer and friend. It saddens me deeply to hear of his sudden passing.

In 2009 I competed for the first time in the Auckland Regional Culinary Fare, Ajith was present with pupils from Whitireia Polytechnic where he taught as a lecturer - he watched me as I competed in the class of Innovative Table Setting against 3 of his students, where I had one of his co workers as a judge. When I had completed and was packing up my table setting after allowing everyone to take photos and what not, he was the one who came up to me and congratulated me on getting Gold....i thought he was just pulling my leg and told me to go check the result board - he was right. I had won Gold, and came in just as second place. He was so impressed with my table setting. I had written a blog about that day - and Ajith actually found my blog and read it, he informed me of this at the Nationals the following month, I was a little embarassed but also touched that my blog has been discovered while obviously searching for the Auckland Regional Culinary Fare 2009.

I sadly got Silver at the Nationals that year, I was put off completed with my work by his fellow co worker who was judging me in the Regionals and one of their student's family (this student is now one of my co workers ironically) - and he knew in his heart of hearts that my table setting was worthy of Gold. He saw it as a winner and gold status over what I got.

I was so over the moon seeing him last year at the Auckland Regionals, he was again unimpressed at what went down with the judging of my table setting, knew it was worthy of Gold, but again I battled with his fellow co worker from the year before as judge and she clearly had taken a personal disliking to me, and had kicked up a debate in the judges lounge. Infact so many people were shocked that I had lost out on getting Gold because of her - they all knew it was worthy of Gold, but they had to make her happy. Nationals was too easy, there wasnt much of a Competition to fight against and Ajith was thrown over the moon and so proud that I won and got Gold for my table setting.

He has always been a fan of my work, and stood by me and been such an inspiration - hearing of his passing has left a massive hole in my heart. I am bound by these memories, and while I cant imagine what it will be like next year at the Culinary Comps without him I know I have the ability if I pick to enter that he will be watching over me proud of what I do. I regret not getting any photos together with him, or of him on his own from the times I have in his company at the Comps. I am so greatful to have known you and met you Ajith.

RIP Ajith Perera.

Happy Birthday Sue Hibberd! (Birthday Card Included)

So its Simon's Mum's Birthday today and together we made a card for her - I think this was to show off my talents and Sue's sister and cousin use to make cards....Simon wanted to create a photo frame, he wanted the card to look like a wall, took alot of playing around with paper and cutting up paper - I really do hate it how i have to attack full 12x12 sheets of paper for a little tiny sliver of paper...but sadly I had no scraps of some of these papers...I had a stash of paper scraps you see but I just dont really find the use for them, I keep them for I hope one day I will use them but so far I havent really done so to be honest.

The Birthday Card - Dave (Simon's dad) said it was very professional looking.

We got Sue some goodies from the English food stores, alot of her favourites from back home that she loves. We had dinner out at a restaurant that serves really large burgers, for me it was a hard time as I work in the industry and I wasnt impressed with the service from them. I hardly go out for meals at restaurants because I find it so strange having someone do my job on me, so this time I had to really try my hardest to be a "normal" person and distant myself from my heavy involvement in Hospitality. It was so hard but I managed it. Had a little bitch about it later when I got home...

A family photo.

My HUGE burger

AND I managed to fit Dessert in too! Ok I shared it with Simon I wasnt THAT greedy!