happy happy happy

Hello everyone!

Oh my Gosh. Relay for life is on again and I went to go register my team, team RamRob, and there's a $200 entry fee! How expensive! This is for a fundraising event. So if anyone wants to walk with me for 20hours in a relay, and put towards the 2 hundy registration fee, THEN fundraise for cancer, let me know.

I don't actually have anything else to blog about. How boring. Life is good though, apart from the unemployment :(

xx

I am here.

I have arrived in the windy capital of the country. And I have been welcomed with a cold, complete with runny nose, coughing, sneezing, and general all around dying. Fantastic.

I am living with some fabu people though - Gareth, Juliet, Nikki, and Hannah. If you don't know who they are by now, I think you should read my blog a little more often. That's what I think.

Now, if anyone would like to find me a job around these parts, let me know. I do love jobs. I am trying to get a part time job as a bar person so I can get a bar managers license and then when I move to the UK I can get a job no sweat. Nooooo sweat.

So! Luke is going to turn up at my house tomorrow night, I am quite very excited actually. I haven't seen him in quite a few months, since when he left to live in Australia. It's going to be awesome! And then, when he leaves on Tuesday evening, that's when the job hunting begins. Oh Boy.

xx

The Big MOVE

Hey everyone!

I have made a decision, and I am now moving to Wellington on the 16th January! Hurray!

That is all.

Clairey xx

Strangers

I love it when people smile at me in the street, or say hello. I've gotten used to it being the norm, so much so that I can be slightly offended if someone averts their eyes to avoid my cheesy grin. It's best in the mornings I think - people are generally out exercising, and they seem to be happier and less stressed. I leave the house to walk to work at 6:25am, so I get a lot of the middle-aged women power walking down the street, or the men going for a run. I always say "hi!" or "Morning!", or, at the very least, look them in the eye and smile. When they smile back, it makes my day. Or at least my morning.

Try it - smiles are contagious.

Career-ize

Hey guys! I am just in Rotorua for the weekend so thought it was about time for an update for all my friendy friends.

I got my final semester marks back - they're okay, but not great. B, B+, B+, and an A. That gives me my BSc though, so I am happy! I am working in Hamilton at Convex Plastics, which is an amazing innovative company that manufactures blown films for plastic bags, packaging, and banners. I am a Lab Tech there, but am involved in a really really exciting project on biodegradable stuff - my specialty :D It is awesome to be asked for my opinion and knowledge on various things, and people are so encouraging of my creativity. I can't wait to get back from the U.K. and get into a job with a company like Convex - forward thinking and innovative. The big boss has even said he is happy for me to use Convex time to work on my own personal engineering invention I want to look into! I am really happy there, and really excited about my career.

In January sometime I will be heading down to Wellington to live with my brother Gareth, his fiancee Juliet, her sister Nikki (of Tales of the Red Headed Devil Child fame), and the Devil Child herself. I am very very excited!! Apparently I get to live in the dining room as the new house they found is only a three bedroom. No worries though, now that I have finished study there will be a noticeable absence of the massive green desk and the huge bookshelf of texts, so my belongings will be able to fit into the small room. Just trying to find a job down there now, so if anyone knows any companies that might want a girl with a degree in materials and process engineering and environmental technology, give me a yell. I am hoping to get something in the environmental side of things, like water treatment or landfill design, just because it is an industry I won't be doing my Masters so it will be good to get a taste of it. Mmmmmm, wastewater.

I have attended several Rotary meetings as part of the Ambassadorial Scholarship I have. My sponsor club in Rotorua (Rotorua Sunrise) is really exciting, I got to do a little introductory speech to them and that was cool. I also went to the Hamilton East club, and the Te Puke club. Everyone has been so so welcoming - I spoke at the Te Puke club and I almost cried when I was thanking them for the scholarship - I am so overwhelmed and happy that I have been given this amazing opportunity, I can't describe how grateful I am towards the Rotary Foundation. All the money I will be getting is from Rotary members, normal people, funding ME! to travel and study! I really hope I make Rotary proud.

So this weekend, I had a garage sale at my house in Hamilton. Jenna came round with a carload of her stuff, and we spent from 6:15am to after lunch sunbathing outside the garage and selling things. Then we sorted out the stuff left over - big ticket items we are going to put on trademe, and all clothes and shoes that didn't sell we boxed and are going to take to Habitat for Humanity. So check out my trademe listings, they will be up in a few days. Then I drove to Rotoma for Johny's birthday. He would have been 23 today. His death is still so raw, I am dealing with it a small bit at a time. I miss him a lot - just knowing I will never get to see his goofy smile again is really hard. Some other day I will tell you things I remember about him, but not right now.

Now - it is time for me to go grocery shopping with my dad. We are going to buy lunch supplies for the week. I get to work at Scion tomorrow, for Convex. I worked at Scion last summer, so will be cool to be back in the lab with all the guys there.

Til next time!!

xx

i am still alive :D

hi guys, just to let you know i am still around! Things got incredibly hectic - a very good friend of mine, Johny Jones, passed away on the 20th September, and from there I just ran on automatic. I have now completed my degree (i hope - exam marks are not in yet!), and have started full time work for a plastics company in Hamilton. It is brilliant, but i am fully fully fully busy, still teaching piano and about to get a weekend bar job as well. Then there's dancing, gym, and Rotary as well - no time for blogging.

I am now not moving to Melbourne in January, but rather staying in NZ (hopefully in Wellington) until I leave for Wales in August/September. Exciting!

xx

I am a yellow Pencil.

My flatmate Cameron is wearing very nice business socks today.

Here is a picture of me and my buddy Stella on the swings in Wellington. I love swings.