Blog connections

Inspired by the phenomenal Information is Beautiful, and shaped by the fairly cozy bunch of 'New Zealand indie bloggers', I made this diagram. It shows which blogs links to which others. I think it looks nice. It's accurate to March 30, and uses the current title of each blog. Some blogs don't have 'blogrolls'. All the blogs are good.

Collage #3 - Skater

Collage #2 - Girl

Collage #1 - X-ray Watch

I've started making some collages. They're very simple I think, but they look at the idea of 'the more you look, the more you see'. Here is a detail of the watch face

The city

The central city is still very much cordoned off, though access is slowly being allowed. I had a look on Google maps and street view to remind myself what parts of the city looked like. Knowing that they've changed, and that everyone is disconnected from those changes is saddening.
Sometimes I think about the streets of the city, and how empty they are, and how lonely the city must be. There are no people flowing through her, and she seems very frozen in time, from what I've seen. In particular, I like the street art in Christchurch, and knowing that so many pieces are sitting, unseen, in the CBD, feels very empty. Street art requires an audience, and is the work of individuals in response to the urban environment.
Last night I was very pleased to find the work of two of my favourite individuals on Flickr. I really love Vision, and how creative and versatile they are. And it feels like Vacuousity really 'gets' Christchurch, and has done some very inspiring pastes (you've quite possibly seen them).

(On the topic of street art: the latest video from Blu is mind blowing - Big Bang Big Boom)

Free and sweet

This week I ordered a 'bag of crap' from 1-day - a mystery item from the online store. I was hoping for high-end computer goods, but instead received vacuum clothes storage bags, and a container of 60 Chupa Chups (spherical lollipops in case you didn't know). My flatmates and I had a couple, but I don't eat too many lollies, and I didn't really like them. Instead, I decided to leave them in public places for people to find.
Candy from a stranger (or a public place) may not appeal to everyone, so with colourful rubberbands, I attached some typewritten messages

 'for you', 'you're sweet', 'good day', etc.

And stuck them in trees, bicycle helmets, clothing store trouser pockets, on fences - places like that.

Hopefully they'll sweeten someone's day

Heart

I find it really hard to force creativity, and though I'd been wanting to make something nice after the recent earthquake, nothing really jumped at me. Yesterday, I remembered that I had a few large sheets of thick black and red paper (Canterbury colours), and in a flurry made a large poster. I like when creativity and inspiration hits from out of nowhere.
I put it up on Bealey Ave, one of the main roads in Christchurch, and a short walk from my house. It's very humbling and encouraging that mine is just one of many similar supportive messages on Bealey and around the city.

Hitchhicking

As mentioned in the previous post, I set out to do a bit of hitchhiking around the country. I guess it went okay, but I headed back to Chch after a few days. A few people picked me up, but I guess that after trying it, I'm not a huge fan of hitching. Gina drove me to Ashburton where I spent the night. In the morning I was picked up by Vince, the most Kiwi bloke I've ever met. He was great to talk to, and dropped me off in Timaru.
From there I was picked up by Chrissie, who took me to the Waimate turnoff. I was aiming for Oamaru, and being on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere seemed to be quite a hindrance. After a few hours of standing there, I decided to walk the 8km to Waimate, which was tougher than I'd wanted on a really hot day.
After spending the night in the beautiful little town, I caught a bus back home. I had realised that I don't really like relying on other people for rides (which is the whole idea behind hitching), and that I'd much rather be out on my bike, instead of waiting around for hours for a possible lift.
I didn't feel too bad about; I'd given it a shot, and found that it wasn't really for me. I'll be fixing Sally up a bit, and then we'll hopefully be out for an adventure before it gets too cold.

Hitting the road

I've been wondering what to do in this post earthquake limbo: I've finished at uni, my job is currently out of action, and other plans for the future seem a bit up in the air. So somewhere between watching a Marcus Lush documentary and pondering my life in Christchurch, I hit upon the idea of travelling to unexplored lands, within the maxim of 'don't leave home until you've seen the country'.
Given that I've lived in New Zealand my whole life, there are huge parts of the country I've never seen. The South Island remains largely a mystery to me, and now seems like the perfect time to remedy that. I'm planning on hitch-hiking around the bottom part of the South Island for a few weeks, seeing where the road takes me, and experiencing lands anew. And I guess implicitly, relying on the good nature of New Zealand motorists. I'm sure I'll meet some good people. After that, back to Christchurch, before hitting the rest of the island.
I've lived in Chch since 2007, and I always envisaged that I'd study, and then move on. Not get too tied down here. And though I've fallen in love with the city, and it's people, I realise that I can't be afraid to take the next step. I could quite happily live here (and will be back), but for now it's time to experience everything else out there.

Earthquake, redux

Things have been a flurry since the most recent earthquake. I travelled to Palmerston North for a wedding of friends from highschool, and Gina and I went to Auckland for a few days. The wedding was fantastic: a really beautiful ceremony, the chance to see lots of old friends and family, and a fun reception. Things in Christchurch were a pretty common discussion.
While I was in PN, Gina and I planned a short trip to Auckland. We stayed with her dad in Howick and explored some of the central city, ate some yum food (including Nice Blocks!), met up with Stacey at First Thursdays, and played Cranium. Gina's family have been fantastically nice. I stayed with her and her mum for a few days after the earthquake. And I've fallen head over heals in love with Gina.
Still, being out of the city, and not having been in to the CBD I adore so much leaves me feeling really disconnected. Things feel in a real limbo now that I've finished uni, and am working a job that I like, but isn't a career. I think a change is coming

Earthquake

So, there was a big earthquake in Christchurch last week. I'm okay, and everyone I know is fine. Our flat's still standing, but the wooden frames are getting tired of twisting around. Unlike last time, I was in town, and by all accounts this time around things were much stronger, damaging, and sadly, fatal. The city seems to have been really badly hit - lots of collapsed buildings, cracked roads all over, broken water mains. It's a real catastrophe, about as bad as I could really imagine things getting in New Zealand. It felt like things were getting back on track after the September quake, and now everything's changed, again. The last quake now seems trivial in so many ways, but also like things were better prepared for a response.
I'd thought about what to write for a while, and am still at a loss for words. I really love Christchurch, and intend to stick it out here. I really want things to get better, and know they will - there's been a huge community spirit, and the whole country has been very supportive. If you want to help, the Red Cross is a great place to start.
And another thing - no matter where you are, please make an emergency kit. When this quake hit, I couldn't believe our flat had not stockpiled any water or canned food, especially after we'd lived through the last one.