Things I have Discovered

Recently (immediately after our visit to NZ infact) I gave up drinking. I had a feeling that if I didn't have that glass of wine at 5.30 then I wouldn't have these annoying pimples, would magically drop weight, wouldn't be irritable in the evenings etc etc. I discovered after 4 weeks and only one evening having a glass of wine in all that time that actually none of that happened. So I discovered my theory was wrong and all my abstinence for nought. But at least I don't feel so guilty about being a bit irritable anymore. I'm just tossing up what to try next. Fish oil? flax oil? or maybe the "30 plus" tablets they (and Lisa Curry Kenny) advertise? Get in control and rejoin the real world- that's the promise in the advertisement I discovered in a woman's magazine!

One thing I would not want to give up is my coffee. I'm not going to go into any soliloquy when a post in a blog I discovered recently (while checking my own stats) puts it SO much better. I was drawn to The Visa Diaries by the little sketch of the Fiji water bottle- most of my favourite blogs have fantastic photos, but this was the first time I had seen such great sketches accompanying blog posts...

(image from "the Visa Diaries" and I believe drawn by the very talented Kate?). Anyway here's what she had to say about coffee- an exerpt from this very entertaining post you can read in full here...

Coffee is a small, momentary comfort and pleasure. It doesn’t break the bank or split the seams, yet somehow makes life bearable, whatever is seeming unbearable without it.

‘I can’t do much about the jerks in power or the war in Iraq, but at least I have a hot, fragrant liquid warming my tummy.’ Its that small turn-around, that small thing to look forward to that makes it possible to face the rest. Maybe it is all very Zen, or maybe it is escapist. Maybe it is an example of a modern ritual, which commentators say we lack, or maybe it is buying into Starbucks’ marketing hype. Or, maybe after I have another cup of coffee, I will be able to deal with the uncertainly.

True True...

Lately after going to our combat class (you think exercise is challenging normally, try doing an exercise class in 32degree celcius heat!) we have been going for coffees at the Hilton. The other day Rupert from Hilton management was there and we were instantly concerned as to whether we were appropriately dressed- then the conversation jumped to the really big ethical question facing Fiji hotels, especially 5 star ones with nice restaurants- at what point is it appropriate to continue walking around (as a guy) in speedos? We told him that a recent advertisement in NZ had looked at the very same issue...

Oddly we had been talking about the same ad twice in the previous week, and in the same breath the other summer classic- the "stubbies" (that's a kind of men's short pants) ads; once as we were watching the very good Cadbury Gorilla ad discovered on Jonathon's Oceanic Blog, and then again when I was discussing the discovery of a classic U2 video on Julie's blog That Red Dirt Road . Classics of their kind all, but each time we discussed "classics" of course the L&P (a type of soda in NZ) ads came up. So here we go- the stubbies classic...

Suva is a place that frankly we avoid going to. But we headed down there to pick up a new (second hand) company car for GB. The first thing we discovered was that Korovou prison- featured in a previous post has had a face lift. But only on the outside I'm sure...

Suva of course was cloudy and raining (but not cold). Treasure at that time (being on the other side of Fiji) had only had one day of rain in eight weeks, which was good actually, as the restaurant was being retiled and for three nights everyone dined outside...The day the tables went indoors the rain came down- very lucky. What we discovered when the new tiles went down was just how grotty the old ones had been! Funny how you get used to something and don't notice. The dark brown small tiles weren't fijian fashion at all- they had just been put in the (celebration of all things brown and orange) seventies and we were probably lucky they weren't spoofed in an L&P ad too!

I discovered adobe's PSCS3 (photoshop CS3) has an amazing autoalign function which makes sticking photos together to make panoramaa a breeze- that's what I used with the above photo. Incredible, considering I did the banner (up top) here with PS7 which had no photostitch at all. Imagine how much easier it would've been... Its time to do some real stitching here too as well as photostitching. In Fiji when they launch a new boat they go through a number of rituals including wrapping it in tapa. Well it seems the same can apply to cars, and GB came out of his office to find his company car completely wrapped up in a fabric with a bright bula pattern! Next step to to make ourselves nice traditional dresses with it. Yabaki has already made hers with her share...

Finally you may think this is another thing I discovered in the new photoshop- the black and white conversion function (which is very good) and it is- but also it represents the discovery Fiji is a small place, even for us. We were at the dentist, and it turned out these girls knew us/ we know their aunt well.

So I'd better go and do something not at the computer for a bit... Next post we should discover yet again that Fijian kids are the cutest/most photogenic anywhere (if I have finished sorting the photos from Nagado), and a disturbing discovery of a group of hoes. Also soon about the time we went to NZ and I discovered how hard it is to photograph landscape well. But that's enough discoveries for now... I have just discovered that typepad's spell checker seems to have disappeared, so until I rediscover it sorry about any typos...

Comments

[Mands]

Love love love the videos Meg! and wow to the wonderful looking prison! wonder if it is all newly painted inside? LOL...most prob not!

[cynthia]

not too worried about typo's...atleast you use capitals!
it's so hard to go without "stuff" sometimes, but once you overcome it's really not that bad!
loved the videos!!
and that prison....WOW! looks maybe a little "inviting" LOL

take care!

[Marla]

I always enjoy your everyday shots of Fiji, Meg!

[meg]

Thanks Guys, Mands of course you love the videos, that's our culture laid out there! The prison may look bright and clean on the outside, but it still looks scary... Cynthia and Marla please not wrt the typos I am writing in English, not US English. "Colour" is not a typo!!