A couple of months ago I heard that a hmm, should I say acquainted (?) died whom I've meet at a couple of party's back in Nelson. He was a great guy (yeah yeah I know, we always tend to say that when they're dead but this guy really was). And now I've still got him as a Facebook Friends. In fact, that's how I got to know that he'd passed on and I was even able to watch his burial, streaming all the way over here. Strange. I'll send you a thought and a little prayer in what ever religion or non religion you want, my dear. R.I.P.
Then a thought crossed my mind. In the age of "keep computers private filled with data instead of real papers", how and what will people do when we die? I always imagined that someone would read my dairy's. I mean, why not? I'm dead. Might as well get to know all the good juicy stuff? Or not? What is sacred anyways? What secrets do we get to keep until we're either put six feet under ground or in a hot flaming oven? And how about all those emails, communities, bank accounts not to mention the computer itself. Should we let our loved ones get access to them after we've past on? How can we keep our password safe but not from the grave? And what should or should not be relieved? No matter where we are in life or death. Hmm, it might be time (and I'm not planing on dying but neither did this guy and he was about my age, actually a few years younger and a frequent traveler) to start thinking about hiding a password that will unlock other passwords behind a password secret spot that will get accessed by another password which I will revile to... whom...? R.I.P. to all of those secrets never having the pleasure of getting in the way of peoples lives/ability to move on.
Heart:Had some contact with Zhe the other day. Feels like I'm starting all over again with the grieving period, gee thanks. And the worst part was that he said everything that I wanted to hear, almost everything at least. And yes, both still in love. Having my thirteen year old girl and that goth person screaming, running around in circles inside my head. Saying all sorts of stuff that I'm not sure I wanna hear and I sure as hell don't want to believe in - again. I just want to realize that I've been a controlling bitch, let go and move on. Whining over for this session. R.I.P. little heart.
Picture: From a Urban Exploration adventure years ago. And to all of those dead dolls we've found in that tunnel, R.I.P.
Soundtrack: The pitter patter of my thoughts spinning around late at night. Password or no Password. R.I.P
And just as I thought I had figured out a way to get over Zhe, just plain "let it hurt" and "accept" I got a mail from him. Saying how much he missed me ect. Gah! i don't even know what to say, what to feel. I'm still so in love. Humpf.
People of the day: Berget in Göteborg.
Soundtrack: Eddie Izzards laughter.
City of the Day: göteborg
Event of the day: New Years eve
Secret of the day: I finally got up the guts - Dreads!!! That's why my hair is totally messed up ;p
Picture of the Day: me hitching in Sweden.
Year of the day: 2009
My B-day is coming up this month and I always feel rather uncomfortable at this time of year. I hate wintertime in Sweden and even though I was right in the starts of summer last year I really didn't wanna celebrate anyways. I kept my birthday a secret and went camping with the Nelson gang, who found out on Facebook (grr) but we had a sweet beach party and I spent a lot of the night listening to the ocean while looking up on the stars, feeling the sand between my
toes.
Picture: Tataranoi Beach where we went camping and me after a sweet dip in the ocean.
So what about this year? I was suppose to go to Gotland to meet up with the summer flat gang and have a double b-day party but now I don't know any more. Might not have the time, money or company. Don't know if Zhe will be able to join us either. And then there is this huge issue of the actual celebrating. I think its the same yukiee feeling I get at the back of my throat when I get a sweet honest compliment from a loved one, I really just can't handle it. Ha, might be that teenie Goth girl still trapped inside or the Swedish "jantelagen" which is a saying that you should never try to be special or something more then anyone else. I don't know. It just creeps the hell out of me. Ah, then there are the heaps of spoiled B-Days of course. Gosh, how could I've forgotten them. That might just be it. So the question of the day (directed at myself I guess) is should I go public or hide?
Went to another larp last weekend, "Våra Drömmars Stad". This time set in "1800-1900" sentry, sorta. Had a good group and stuff but the larp actually sucked. Big time. Got a couple of good scenes but nah, really. I thought I was going to "thriller" type story based larp with sound and video effects. I ended up on a larp with way to expensive clothes (not on me) which made everyone scared of actually moving around in them and it turned out to be some sort of British "Murder theory" but without the murder(?). Finding, receiving and talking to people about the clues you'd gathered. A Game. Uhm, did I mention that I'm actually registered as the worst riddle "sovler" on the continent at this present time?
So the rest of the life? Well, Autumn is here. And my panic with it. Still kinda silent but coming. Trying to keep my focus, trying to keep busy (which isn't a problem for me as most of you all know) and getting quite creative which is great.
Still finding the need to stay in Sweden or rather to stay put, sit still and think. I've never known what I want to do but last January I decided I wanted to study art full time and move to New Zealand. Finally I had this great plan but as all planes they never turn out as you thought. I've got no regrets, It was absolutely the best thing I've ever done. And even though school wasn't up to my expectations I had a swell time travelling and getting to know my self.
Recap: July 2007, I stated studying art in Stockholm January 2008, I decide to move to New Zealand July 2008, I move to NZ and begin my new school October 2008, I realise that I'm not going to come back to school next term. November 2008, The road is my home September 2009, Stockholm is my home.
Picture of me on the road.
I've been on the road more or less for a year. Or more. After realising that art school over there wasn't as good as I hoped I thought that I would find out what I wanted to do with my life by travelling. And I sotra did. I want to do more, see more, be creative, move around, love and work with nature, animals and art. I've got a real addiction to Larp which can't be found (in the way that I like them) in any other place but Sweden. I also found out that I needed to be around my friends. As corny as it sound. Gah, I missed everyone heaps. And I'm not really keen on missing them so soon again. I need to stay put, even though I'm always travelling in my heart and all around Sweden I need to try and find out what I want to do with my life. I know I want to study art - but not at the moment.
I know I've talked about it over and over again, its just that I really don't know. In the same way as I really don't know about this thing called sex. I've always loved it, no matter what gender or style but now... No. I know I've always loved to be with girls and "the people who don't define their gender" (in lack for better description). But men? Well, I haven't had a problem before. Or I had with the macho manly men. And its gotten worse.
At the moment I've gotten over my last big summer crush and in true "isobelll style" gotten right back on the horse and am having all these bubbles for someone else. Of course someone that I hardly know. But now for the scary parts starts, its a he and he seams to like me back. Fuck!! I'm not good with all of that shit anymore. As I said, we hardly know each other (and OH, I'm as always getting way to personal? Sorry) but we're texting and getting real cute. He doesn't live around here which is great, I can live my life just as always. But then there is the "I'm missing him!" part which sucks. Like I'm always missing people all around the globe. Sigh. Note to self: By travelling a lot and larping you'll get friends all over, if you find this "missing thing" hard then you might think about stop travelling - Ha, like that's ever going to happen!!
So once again I'm confronted with the two things that scare me most of all. Its a guy and he (well, that's what I think at least - gathered from the texting ) sorta likes me back (or is he just atracted (here my bad selfconfidens raises her voice in a foul and bad manner and starts to whisper lots of thing that I wont tell here and will try to inore all togeher)). Which is all nice and good but it means, you guessed it, sex. Cause of the simple fact, it seams like, that we're both adultes. Now don't get me wrong, I'm really attracted to him and wow I'd love to have sex but does the dick really have to be a part of it? (As I complained about all this shit to my brother last night he went and grabbed the sissors, "This might solve the problem?").
This has been my main theme for the last 6 months - no dicks. I've failed over and over again but every time I'm in a quite foul mood for the next coulple of days. So seriously, no dicks. At least until I figure out what's wrong, or if you'd like me to rephrase, what's right. Now comes the issue of telling to him, that I'd love to have a cute flirt (or whatever happens) but no sex which is scary. And for once realising that it wont do with, "I'll make up an excuse at the last moment", "It wont be all that bad will it?", "But I am really attracted?", "I am real horny though, that should mean that I actually do want it?", "oh well, I don't want to disappoint him. Just get it over with." I know all about the classic saying "if he likes me it wont matter", "I don't need to spread my legs for someone to like me and if its only that then I can just as well do without." But grr, the bubbles and wanting to be the subject of bubbles in tummy back feelings are still very much all to real. Well, I should just stop thinking, be honest and let the weekend to all the work cause we're all meeting up on Gotland for the "Night of Culture". Yay! A sorta reunion of the summer time medieval week at the flat with sauna, party, friends (some old ones and a lot of newcomes) and the highlight will be seeing a scary movie in one of the old church ruins at night. Freezing Cold!!! And I don't know what I'm more scared about, the movie, the cold or (I do really hope) him - warming me, holding my hand.
Bubbles. Scared. Confused. Chaos? Well, thats me. Always in some state of chaos but at least I'm smiling this time. (And blushing.) Shit, he might read this. Uhm, no good idea of publishing or just the right thing to do? Uhm, fuck. Well, its to late now? Shit, shit, shit. Scared way beond the point of ok and all bundled up in a teenie crush. But maybe I'll just see him and realise that its been all in my head? Bubbles simply cause I "felt like" having bubbles? Hitting the Publish button before I can change my mind.
Warning, one more of those NZ stories. If you're reading the notes on my facebook they're automatically streamed and not at correct as my blog. Check out the page: http://isobelll.blogspot.com
I love adventure! So when I was hitching upwards from Wellington on the North Island of New Zealand in February 2009 I asked the driver if they had any idea of where I could stay that night. Any Cool Beaches close by? Waitarere was my answer. Sweet. A couple of hitches later I was at a camp site close by the beach and heard the story about this Forrest - it was suppose to be one of the places they'd filmed Gollum, not that I was to interested in finding the spots. That was not why I travelled New Zealand. (But I must admit that Mount Doom was pretty awesome!).
However my bankcard wouldn't work and the camping site was pretty expensive anyways so I went to the local store to get some cash out. As I asked the guy behind the counter if he knew anywhere where I could crash in my tent for the night without having to pay he look with huge eyes at me like he'd never heard of such a thing. But the lady, with a little daughter, behind me in line spoke up and said "Why don't you come and stay on our lawn?" Sure, sweet!
As we walked off she explained that her neighbour was out of town and I might just as well use his house, a couple of minutes later she said that she had a guest house - that they normally rented out for people on longer vacations - and I might just as well stay in there. Ha!! As we got to her place she quickly put a beer in my hand, said hi to her husband and started making dinner - vegetarian of course! They were really happy to hear my stories and said that they knew someone in Sweden who's stayed with them before.
After dinner me and the lady went to the beach, oh the beautiful beach, and checked out the sunset. Mm. We said our goodnights and I went to drink some tea, yeah! There was tea in my own little cabin with a real bed and shower. As I was writing up my adventures for the day in my Diary which I'd try to keep up to date the house suddenly started shaking. WTF?! I got real scared and ran outside after struggling ot get the door open. No one but me out in that dark night. And after a while it stopped. Shit. Is it gonna start again? Is there a big one coming on? What was the right thing to do? Why hadn't I researched this a bit better before coming to this Earthquake country? After a while I fell asleep, still scared but ok. Nothing, from what I know, got broken. But much later I found out that it had been a 4 on the Richter scale. Shit! Scary stuff!
Next morning I made my way into the Forrest and tried to find Gollum, or his remains. I never did but the Forrest sure was creeping me out. And I came up with the brilliant idea that I'd cross the low bushes that stretched about 400 meter from the Forrest edge to the beach. Couldn't be to hard could it? Guess again! With a narrow undergrowth and some thorns I soon understood why most, clever anyways, people stay out of these bushes. And as always I as way to stubborn to turn back. About an hour later I'd crossed, crawled, slide and climbed my way to the beach with a fair few cuts and bruises. Children, don't try this at home!
The Gollum Forrest
The 400 meters of Bush between the Forrest and the ocean, doesn't look to hard does it?
Me on video in that Forrest talking about whats been going on.
And Finally, The Beach. Doesn't look to impressive on photo but fuck, that thing keep going for miles and miles in each direction and even though the water was less then "yay, lets go swimming - temperature" I walked along the shore for quite a while.
Today's Person: Everyone who invites a total stranger into their home and hearts. I'll be forever thankful for your help!
I woke up in the top bunk bed at my backpackers that morning in Queenstown and I must point out - I'm NOT scared of height's but looking down and realising that I would be jumping of something a lot higher in a couple of hours, no thanks!! I hardly ate breakfast and was way to nervous to think for more then a few seconds on my way to the office. Luckily I meet a sweet guy there who also agreed to help me get some pictures if I were to jump. Can't back out now, I never back out! But oh, I wanted to. Secretly.
I finally got to the bridge and the waiting began. A lot of others jumped before me and it was freezing cold that morning. As I walked out on the bridge, after the guy in front of me just screamed his head off I wasn't sure at all any more. Fuck no, I do not want to go dwn that way. But at the same time, just please let this be quick and painless. The music was pumping at the same rate as my heart while the guide took my camera and another one tied a towl (yeah, a freaking towl!!) around my angles and the harness on top. That was all there was to it then. Now it was up to me. I stood up, wobbled to the edge and made a huge mistake. I looked down. A big no, no. The guide behind me said "Just look at that other bridge and jump towards it!" What? Its ages away!!! I can't do that. But I knew I just had to do one thing - not think and jump. But In my case I more or less fell over the edge trying to get back in when it was almost to late and screamed all the way to the down. But as soon as I was over the edge it was great! One of the best things I've ever done!!
Later on that night I finally fell in love with Queenstown, even though we (the Swedish girl who'd sky dived instead of jumping of a bridge) declared it to be a ski resort by hitting town on a Tuesday night and discovering that the clubs were packed. Both of us also found someone to dance with, ;). In my case I didn't actually want anything more then to just dance with this guy, he had great moves but it turned out after we hit the second club and he tagged along after a while - that he was from Hongkong and a great kisser. But I was a good girl that night and went "home" alone and hit the road again the very ext morning with a heart filled of dancing and fee filled of jumping.
The film the guy I meet that morning caught of me jumping, wrong angle but here I go!
The Original AJ Hacker Bungy Jumping bridge.
Walking out there, I don't think I'm to keen anymore?
The towel, the harness and my fear. And oh, yeah. I had pink hair at the time.
No, I can't jump to the other bridge! I can't jump!!
I can jump? No, no... but I can faaaaall!! gaaaaaahhhhh.....!
Please take me up there again, please please let me jump again!!
D and the Canadian girl in as we past through Dunedin (and stayed for the night) at the world famous steepest road ever.
How anyone would wanna live here and carry their groceries home is a mystery. Dunedin, Baldwin Street. There has even been stupid drunk students racing down in shopping carts and such - and yes, some of them have died.
So as you probably know by now I've been travelling and living in New Zealand for the better part of a year and am now back in Europe - at least for the time being. And I've started to write about my adventures down under, like this one. My first ever Bungyjump! Cause when you hit New Zealand - you just have to jump!
I caught a ride with a Canadian girl that I meet in Oamaru to Dunedin, crashed a night at a sweet couchsurfing friend and went on to Queenstown with her and D who came along too. As we hit town its already getting dark, raining and looking like a fucking (in lack for better word and so fitting for the description) Swedish ski resort. WTF? Why did everyone say that I absolutely HAD to come here? Why? Well, I don't know. I found a rather expensive backpackers ($26 per night I think) and booked my bungyjump for early next morning, there just had to be at least one reason for me to be in town.
Later on at night I had a sweet reunion with a Swedish friend who happened to be in town and we ate porridge, found "Swedish" hard bread and cottage cheese. While drinking tea we had a huge "we hate this fucking town/country/rain!" talk that all of us backpackers need once in a while. Then we fall in love all over again.
The Canadian represent and our driver for the day, showing us how to get on top.
I can't really remember the movie (Narnia???) - I think I must have fallen asleep again - but visiting the Elephant rocks with a bunch of girls I got to know at "Chill-a-while" backpackers in Oamaru (New Zealand) was pretty cool. Five girls from the states, Canada, Germany and me representing Sweden for the day happily climbed up on top of some of these gigant rocks and had some pretty interesting discussions about Obama, Bush, the finacial crisis and everything in between.The gang of Girls.
D also inspired me immensely, he'd been hitch hiking around the world for nearly 2 years now. Wow! With almost no money at all, sleeping outside or depending on others to help him when he needed food or shelter. Ok, I don't wanna be a burden but I really want to travel more and more. I'd thought about hitching before I meet D but didn't really have the guts to do it for real, not until I got to know him. He taught me some of the most important things to think about while living on the road and I owe him big time for some of them. Like - never conciser yourself as a bum, you're not even if people might think you are at times. You've got the choice to be out there living of the road, they don't. I never considered myself as a bum, a homeless person, until I got confronted with some of my old friends and family back in Sweden asking me where I was living now and I said - on the streets. Or on my best buddy's couch for the summer. And no, I don't have a home. I have the road. He also taught me a few hitching tricks that really work and are well known amongst the "professional" hitchers.
Never stand/walk with your back to the traffic, they want to see you and some of them are more likely to pick you up if you are walking - showing them you do really wanna get to your destination however far it might be!
Never ware anything that will cover your face, no sunglasses or hats!
Trust your instincts! If you don't wanna accept the ride, then don't!
Try to get the sun out of your face so you can smile and look the on coming traffic into the eyes.
However tempting, never curse a driver that just went past you. They might come back and pick you up or the car behind them will see that you're no fun and games at all. (Several people have come back to pick me up!!)
Have clean and nice clothes, not to dark and not to freaky.
The stretch of road you're standing on has to be strait so that the on coming traffic can see you from far away. Preferably low speed.
Always try to hit the beginning of the big roads outside of the city's - on the right side of the city! Even consider taking public transportation to get to a good spot, ask local people for help with finding one but know that they aren't always experts when it comes to knowing how a good spot for a hitcher is all about.
Travelling alone as a girl you might not wanna have a sign. That way YOU can ask the driver where he/she is going before accepting the ride. This gives you a couple of seconds to decide if you wanna get into the car or not.
Look like you are a traveller, not to much luggage so they don't think they can fit it but not to small - you haven't just missed your bus home.
I've seen a lot of hitchers that haven't applied to these guide lines along the road but if you all keep to them we'll be getting a better reputation then the one us hitchers are having now. And a huge thanks to D that inspired me to really start my adventure. I hitched for about a bit more then 3 months in New Zealand before I flew up north again and I loved it. Even though hitching isn't always fun and games. Everyone who's ever done it can tell ya that.
And oh, as you might have guessed by now - I did have a small crush on D but he had to much of an ego for me to even wanna act upon it, besides we stayed at Chill-a-While for a week and I soon noticed that it was just a pure fascination for all his adventures. In fact many - far to many - of the New Zealand guys have a huge ego that is extremely annoying, they seam to think the world of themselves. Not all of them of course but a lot more then I'd first thought, looking back at it. Girls on the other hand didn't realise that there could be something else then just "oh, we're drunk kissing other girls" - action. None Heterosexuality is not that common, not the places I've visited or I might just have always missed the more "open minded" people while on the road. But hey, you weren't easy to find!!
The happy gang at Chill-a-While, USA, Me, D, Germany - I think A is taking the picture while the Canadian girl hadn't turned up yet.
As I was looking for work during my summer in New Zealand I found out that there was a thing called wwoofing. Willing Workers On Organic Farms. This means that you'd work for a number of hours each day and depending on what it agreed up on you get boarding and sometimes even food. The second one being more common on farms. I never got around to finding a good farm though but spent at least a month on different backpackers (who had a small organic garden or otherwise were trying to recycle or something like that) around New Zealand. My first and best experience was in Oamaru, where I booked in at Chill-a-while backpackers. The owner was real sweet, work was rather easy and the people were absolutely great! I've made friends for life at that place.
I worked for about 2,5 hours per day. Cleaning up, doing the recycling and some garden stuff. Nothing to bad and I had at least one person to help me. That's how I meet T and A, two German girls who I consider "my German sisters". We soon became the gang together with Sam, a girl form the states, D a guy from Dunedin and a Canadian girl. I've since then meet up with T&A on several occasions, we spent Christmas and New Years together for example. =) Love y, guys!
We spent the days reading, talking/exchanging travel stories/adventures/tips, playing music, talking to the tourists and getting them to drive us to all the exiting things close by. Like Penguins, Elephant rocks, The Boulders and so on... More in Part 2.
There was an art gallery inside too!
Our little dinner table upstairs, compfy and cute. In a typical New Zealand hippie style which I've come to love.
The owner and her somewhat crazy daughter, also living at the backpackers.
Haning and gathering the laundery was one of our chores each day.
Getting closer to Christmas time while summer time is hitting us all, WTF?
As we (the artist and I) talked and talked about the obvious subject of art we noticed that the sun was about the show her pretty face and looked at the time. Almost 6 am. Hmm if I went back to Angels car to sleep now I'd get about 2 hours of shut eyes until he was gonna get of the night shift and hit head on home. What to do? The artist, I shall give him a better nickname - Sunny, said that we should check out the sunrise at the beach. Wow, yea! Lets go! I picked up my bag and a huge hug for Angel (I'm forever grateful for all your help) and we hit the beach and played in the sand for a while.
Sadly I didn't take the picture but found it here on the net but its from Christchurch, besides I was way to busy to even think about taking my camera along!
Then went back to his place while the sun already had shown us her pretty face. And wow, what a house! He was actually making it as an artist and living in a posh area in Christchurch. His paintings all over the place, a sweet garden and a cool studio. He was into realistic paintings but made them look surrealistic cause of all the details. Lots of fine landscapes but with a curtain edge that I respected and have come to love even though I normally hate landscape paintings.
Secret part (?): And yes, with a pick up line from a cool artist like "wanna check out the sunrise with me on the beach?" you very well know what happened next. I'm not that innocent even though I might - uhm no? - look that way. He was about 10 years older then me (I've seamed to have been with way to many younger guys lately, not a good thing) and even though I rather not get together with guys he was not one of the typical ones - only knowing one way of satisfying a woman. Oh no! He was different, good and had a lots of sweet kisses to share.
I had an absolutely fabulous morning and at lunch we finally found some breakfast at a posh café close by. Ha, I'm used to finding some - if I'm lucky - oats in my bag and adding some water. Cold porridge - my main source of food while being on the road. So a fuchsia was PURE luxury. I even got to dry my tent in the garden and at night I made it into the city again to check out a free cool acrobatic show with some friends. Afterwards Sunny kept his promise that he'd made in a weak moment the day before - "of course there's Drum&Bass in Christchurch, I'll show ya!" Me and C (a German girl I knew) + Sunny went clubbing and simply owned the dance floor all night long. Ending up for another night at Sunny's place but this time as "just friends" which was rather nice.
And if he wasn't such a typical New Zealander I'd probably crush real hard on him. Now its just another sweet box of memories. =) Next day I managed to hitch all the way from Christchurch to Picton - about 5 hours on the road - where I'd booked my ferry towards the North Island. Hitching under time pressure isn't something I can recommend.
At the Drum&Bass club, which was actually a billiard one where they every Wednesday (?) had a D n' B night, they did some Beatboxing. I've never heard or heard of beatboxing D n B so I was really surprised and loved it! Of course my video's way of quality for any type of internet viewing but here is a guy who's got almost the same style as the guys did on stage that night, enjoy! And you'll just have to imagine a sweaty, dark, pumpin' dancefloor around you.
I was gonna meet up with a friend (for lack of better description) in Christchurch, we were gonna check out Mount Cook together and even though I wasn't quite sure about the situation I'd been persuaded with the "sugerdaddy" method (which means "Come along, I'll pay for all and don't want anything form you"). But as I hitched into the Christchurch I found out that he'd already left which I was quite grateful for in the end expect I didn't have anywhere to stay - again. Free camping in the middle of the city? Auhm, let me think about it... No!!
Couch surfing seamed to be the only way but no one replied, of course, on such short notice. And once again I contacted Angel, my former couch surfing host and friend in Christchurch. But he sadly didn't have anywhere for me to stay since he was living with his family again, sharing a room with his brother (one was working a day shift and Angel was working nights). Shit! What to do? But just a few minutes later I got another txt from him saying that if I wanted I could crash in his mums car that would be parked outside his work while he was doing the night shift, awesome!
Angel and me went to a party before he had to go to work and I decided that hitting the dance floor would be a perfect idea on a Friday night so when Angel surfed he night shift I surfed the clubs. But gah! No good dance club do be found, no drum&bass! What the fuck? I think I tried something like 5 places until I gave up. I was just about to leave when I saw someone that looked, by the way he dressed, like he might know just the club for me. He didn't but persuaded me to stay by dancing real cute and NOT hitting on me, or well he was but not in the heterosexual guy aggressive manner. And we danced until the club closed at 5 am. Puh! After finally being able to talk and hearing the other person, without the music that is, I found out that he was a working artist who actually made his living painting. Cool! Of course I got very inspired and we talked heaps of art stuff... More in Part 2.
The stage at Phat 09, a drum&bass festival I went to at New Years. Dancing barefoot in the mud with beer cans everywhere, freezing cold wet, camping, drinking and pure love.
Best DJ on Phat 09, even though I was almost completely beat at the time - being the last one I saw on the festival: Skream! - Rutten
I'd never heard about this word before I hit the islands (New Zealand) and started listening to their music. Some of my favourites and first encounters were Kora, Fat Freddy's Drop and Katchafire. Which all, I've realised just a few minutes ago, use the word skanking in at least one of their songs. So what is Skank or Skanking? Reasersh shows that its a form of dance:
The dance style originated in the 1950s or 1960s at Jamaican dance halls, where ska music was played. Britishmods and skinheads of the 1960s adopted these types of dances and altered them. The dancing style was revived during the 1970s/1980s 2 Tone era, and has been adopted by some individuals in the hardcore punk subculture. The punk version features a sharp striking out look with the arms, and is sometimes used in moshing to knock around others doing the same. The striking out with the arms while traveling in a circle is also common in psychobilly "wrecking."
The term "skanking" has also been used to refer to a style of rhythm guitar playing employed frequently in reggae music as part of the actual rhythm section, commonly misconceived as a regular up stroke across all six strings of the guitar on every other beat of the measure, frequently exactly accompanied by the keyboard equivalent. It is actually mostly played with a downstroke on every second beat, rather than a up stroke on the off-beat. This would upset the common down-up-down-up motion rhythm guitarists play, with the down on the beat and the up syncopated."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skank_(dance)
Ah! Now I get it! So the word of the day is.... Skankin'. And can be found here:
New Zealand dosen't have the best scene of humour, I must regretfully confess. They don't really get the dry almost cracking one which I prefer, or this I thought until I discovered "Flight of the Conchords" which are absolutely brilliant. I've already shown these 3 of my favourite clips to a few friends over here in Stockholm but I thought I'd share my new smiles with my blog.
Business Time
The Most Beautiful Girld (Part time Model)
I'm Not Crying
These are now favourites next to Eddie Izzard English, Yrrol (The movie by lorry gänget) Swedish, Robert Gustavsson Swedish and Björn Gustafsson Swedish. If you Don't know about them - its time to google or check out the links I've posted.
Deticated to all of you who need to laugh or need to think about something else, here you go TCDG! (The Cute Danish Guy)
A few months later, just after new years, I ended up in Christchurch by chance while hich-hiking and didn't really know where to stay but I txted (short text message by cell's) the couch surfer that I'd met while staying at my Swedish friend (and oh, after a night of partying on town with the couch surfers last time I'd been in Christchurch I ended up on their floor anyways - even though I was staying at my other friends house (Hmm, did I make myself clear just then?)). He, I'll call him Angel, said "sweet as, when are you coming?". Yay! I stayed only for one night on his couch but enjoyed the company and his veggie food very much. Another box of smiles, Thanks man! Again I liked the people but didn't really care to much about the Christchurch, sadly a rather boring city.
My hitch there, who'd been a quite scary one in the end, where teh truck driver tried to kiss me twice even though he was old enough to be my grandfather, had kindly enough organised the next ride for me within the same truck company the following day. I wasn't sure if I was gonna take him up on his offer after having said no to the one about staying in his motel room but enjoyed the morning checking out some galleries after stying with Angel and meet up with the next truck-driver in the early afternoon anyways. He took me from Christchurch all the way to Palmerston and we got along real well. I even helped him unload and we had almost the same taste in music too, which is really uncommon while hitching.
Palmerston was a small wee town which I only chose cause I could get on the road cutting cross country towards Alexandra the next day. And cause I loved the idea of free camping, this was gonna be my first time. I'd gotten my tent for the new years festival just a couple of weeks before from a friend in Karamea who didn't need it anymore. After looking for a place for about an hour I decided that I was way to shy/scared to put it up in one of the perfect places I found, which all were filled with cows. Grr! So I found a place on an off side road, the grass between the paddock and the road seamed to be "non-claimable" by authority's and my home for the night. I didn't want to be to far off as well, if something was to happen. I'd heard about people getting robbed or raped while free camping at various spots around the country, stories I rather not know about. Or tell for that matter?
But my place was perfect, I again watched the sunset while having my dinner (rice with beans and sweet chilly sauce - my favourite along the road and made as soon as I found a microwave and easy to prepare for lunch/dinners ahead). I fell asleep while listening to the birds.
I meet a Swedish girl throw the same education agency while studying in Nelson, or we mailed each other but hadn't met until I came to Christchurch. She was real sweet and I stayed on her couch for a few days. We sat talking all night and checked out the city the next day followed by a sweet party at night (with real boring people but we had a good time anyways, making them jealous while we were dancing). I think I stayed with her 3 or 4 days and I also managed to meet up with some sweet couch surfing people who I happily consider my good friends today.
But maybe the nicest thing apart form speaking Swedish after so many months of only English, even though I miss the English now, was when she brought me along to a horseback riding tour. Wow! I Absolutely love horses and have been riding for more then 10 years but its been a while since I'd been on a horseback. But after about 15 minutes I was at ease and back in the game. I think we were gone for about 3 hours and saw the most stunning landscapes, a huge river and were able to gallop all over the fields. Ah! This is it! My horses name was Arrow and we got along real good. One day I'm gonna have the time and money to go riding on a more reaglar basis, until then that sweet memorie will have to do. Yet another box filled with smiles.
I left Christchurch the next day with a sore body, its been a long time since I've used those muscles.
I'm still at the same spot just turning my head, the peninsula or as I refer to it in my text aswell, the island.
One of my favourite moments in New Zealand, and favourite stories to tell if you've already heard it, was when I visited Mount Maunghanui. One of the hitches was a bit scary due to the Maori guy (everyone's been warning me but I refuse to believe in the prejudice, racist comments against the Maori's) with tattoo's all over his face - blue flames. Then he started asking me how it was travelling alone as a girl, the usual question, if I liked to party, what I liked to drink and soon enough if I had a boyfriend where I laid and said that I had someone waiting for me in Sweden. Then the scary bit began, "You've gotta be real rich if you're travelling like this?" Well no! Not at all, if I were rich I might take the bus and not hitch? But I put it in perhaps a bit more diplomatic words. Telling him about Couch surfing and using the internet to get a hold of people where I could stay for a day or two was apparently notthe right thing to do. "Oh, but then you've got to have your laptop with you?" Pointing to my bag in the back. No way, that's way to expensive and I wouldn't carry it around with me anyhow! But I got out in one piece and with all my belongings. Maybe he just really wanted to know but it sure as hell felt like he wanted to know if it would be worth the trouble robbing me.
After hitching yet another ride I got to the beach which, apparently?, was the destination for the day. I've heard about Mount Maunghanui and that it was suppose to be real beautiful there but not really knowing that I was gonna find this spectacular beach. The water was real warm, filled with fun waves, seaweed and lost of salt which I merrily swallowed while playing in the ocean. As I was sitting in the sun, getting all warm and cosy again I wondered where I was gonna spend the night. Having seen town for just a second I realised that it was probably gonna be to expensive checking in at a backpackers (which I only did when there were no other options) or camp-ground but where could I pitch my tent just randomly hidden?
And suddenly I knew. Mount Maunghanui was to my left (I think) out on a peninsula and on the other side there was another small stretch of land surrounded by ocean, see the pitctures above. That one was gonna be my island for the night, yaaarrrrr!! I was gonna claim it to be all mine! My plan was brilliant. After waiting on the beach for the tourists to go home I snuck out on the peninsula and hid my backpack while I was looking for a place to crash, running around and playing hide and seek with no one looking for me of course. Ok, so you lose some sanity points while being on your own travelling the country, I must admit. Or maybe I didn't have any before either, I leave that for you to decide. The island was beautiful and I soon found the perfect place for my tent, just near a cliff edge, overlooking the ocean and hidden/sight underneath a huge tree. Yay! Just before sunset I pinched my tent and, to my surprise, remembered that I had one last bottle of beer (warm but nice) in my backpack. I took it and my dinner to the highest place on the island and watched the sunset. As the moon rose I knew that this was gonna be one of my best nights in New Zealand. It lit up the entire bay and the Mount, which looked absolutely beautiful. I can't describe it in any other way. The pictures looked completely computer generated but are real.
"I claim this island to be mine, yarrrr!" I waved with my beer knowing that I'd forgotten something important, I didn't have a flag. But instead of using a t-shirt on a stick I decided that another game of hide and seek on the now abandoned island would do.
Some weird guys were fishing way down there while I was enjoying just sitting up there on the cliffs.
Me after my beer, looking at the sunset.
The sunset hitting Mount Maunghanui.
The none-computer generated moon.
The View from my tent the next morning.
Mount Maunghanui and my stay there, this is how it looked.
After my morning dip on the beach at Mount Maunghanui.
Back to reality? Fuck no, never! But back on the blog. I'm gonna try and discipline myself enough to actually start posting my adventures and stories here, but have patience and if I know myself right its gonna be a horrible non-chronological mess of what happened 4 months ago and is going on in my life (or head) right now. Of course there is the constant debate on how revealing one's blog should be where I hope to have the readers full support (or the future me - embarrassed but happy that I wrote my "wild-stupid-cute" adventures somewhere). And if there are any readers out there then I'm as always interested in your comments and they will in fact probably become my inspiration and motivation for keeping up this blog. So hang on tight!
A picture of my home, my stuff my castle. It holds all I own (besides my laptop which was stored at a safe location) and the most important thing of all - my tent!
Again with these fricking Relationship Anarchy thoughts. But I just can't stop thinking about this bit, how can you call someone property? Or that's what someone has to be reduced to when someone else is stealing them?
For example; A likes B but B isn't interested any more and want to "play" with C. Now A acuses C of stealing B form A. But doesn't B have thoughts and feelings of their own?
Its said that friends come before anything but when is a friendship closer, when you share or when you steal? When you're filled with jealousy or with love? Simple questions to a somewhat difficult dilemma.
Can someone steal your friend? Well, yes of course is the first thought but then again. What? How can you steal something that you can't own. There is no rule of monogamy in friendships or is there?
Ok, here's the delicate situation. I hang out heeps with a person, lets call him/her A (hen=him/her). Now A wants to hang out with the friends hen had before I came to New Zealand. That's understandable. I've no desire to always be around A and v.s. But here comes the tricky part, I was invited to join in tonight and didn't think twice before I accepted. Last night however me and A had a huge argument, I was always interfering with hen's friends, I had already "stolen" (taken, gotten to know, become friends with...) a lot of the people A hangs out with and this was the last ones hen's thought hen had for henself. Would be able to hang out with where I wouldn't be around. Understandable. But it puts me in a pretty awkward situation. I was invited but can't go because hen is there and it's hens friends. But I do consider most of them my friends too. Hmm, his might be to complicated to explain on the blog.
Well, at the end of the day I'm sitting at home while "my" friends are out partying cause I don't want to get in the way of A. I have no desire for more fights or back talking someone. I just don't know what to do. I didn't even realise that most of the people down here know A too but its a pretty small place so I guess thats unavoidable. So how can I be considerate and give A some space without getting left out? My first impulse was to leave. Thats it, had enough of Nelson. Time to move on. But I can't run away every time it gets hard. So I stay, alone, in my room while my friends are out with A and "hen's" friends. Momentum 22.
Wonder if anyone can understand my ramble, ha.
How the hell could I have been so blind?! I got close, I trusted, I love. This time around was to be about me, not about what everyone else does and doesn't do. I was not to be influenced. I was to be on my own. Not let anyone in. I can't believe that I got that dependent on people again. I need to make my own way and not care if they wont show me NZ, forget to tell me that the trips are off or aren't interested in my things. I need to find my path. Alone. Thank you for the reminder.
Addictions: Travel + Hitch hiking, tea, art, dance, larp, play, cartwheels, my cell phone, music, the road, computers n' internet
Politics: Green-Veggie-Queer-Anarchist-Socialist
Loves: Animals&Nature, dark chocolate, warm hands, Urban Exploration, hitch-hiking, demonstarting, creating stuff/art, dancing, runnin' through the grass bare feet, adventures
Hates: to freeze, winter, autumn, losing control, my conscience, Falling in Love
Scared of: insects, the dark, Pennywise the Clown, Losing control, deep water, meat, freedom of will and not having freedom of will, the entrapment of a "relationship" (I'm a Relationship Anarchist), capitalism
Massive Attack, Queen, AFI, Takida, CombiChrist, Björk, Coheed & Cambria, Lacuna Coil, Deine Lakain, Bush, Pink, Rammstein+Tatu-kombo, Juli, Covenant, VNV Nation, Soulfly, Nine Inch Nails, System of a Down, Silbermond, K-pist, Tool, Stabbing Westward, Within Temptation, Smashing Pumkins, The Used, Skillet, Architecture in Helsinki, Säkert!, Detektivbyrån, Fall out boy, Kate Nash, Freak Kitchen, Hello Saferide, Gwen Stefani, Eskalator, GoGol Bordello, Muse, Fall out boy, Shout Out Louds, Antony and the Johnsons, Blink 182, Rage agains the machine, Skunk Anansie, Arcade Fire, Silverchair, Kent, Dntl, Kora, Minuit, Sidewalk, Ladi 6, Lykke Li, Lamb, Lama, Stay Ali, Dubstep+Drum&bass, Mint Royal, Sigur Rós, Fat Freddy's Drop, Katchafire, The Black Seeds, Sidewalk, Joel&Joakim... and much more.
A couple of months ago I heard that a hmm, should I say acquainted (?) died whom I've meet at a couple of party's back in Nelson. He was a great guy (yeah yeah I know, we always tend to say that when they're dead but this guy really was). And now I've still got him as a Facebook Friends. In fact, that's how I got to know that he'd passed on and I was even able to watch his burial, streaming all the way over here. Strange. I'll send you a thought and a little prayer in what ever religion or non religion you want, my dear. R.I.P.
