Just thought I'd share with you all that I'm famous on GrabOne! Haha, I made the cut for the photo of the discount voucher for the yoga school!!
See me in white here!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Bar Course
Whoa, nearly yet another week has gone by! Time certainly flies when you're busy!!
Here's a quick recap..
Monday: Took, the kids to school, got a few groceries, run and swim training, Valentine's Day cake baking, pick kids up from school, make their dinner and some for me, ferry over to the first night of my bar course at New Zealand's Professional Bar and Restaurant School. I was surprised at how huge a class it was (40 people or more) and at my table were 2 English girls, one Kiwi girl and a German guy. It's pretty fun and we not only learn a whole bunch of cocktail recipes but also barista skills, coffees and how to properly steam and pour milk, customer service, licensing, where different types of alcohol come from, what they're made from, how they're normally served. And we get TONS of time behind the bar to practice. Also, we could drink everything we make to practice if we really wanted to. Unfortunately, I decided to have a "dry month" before my triathlon with no alcohol so I am unable to take advantage of all the nice cocktails we make! Oh well! After the first night, I was taken to the Chocolate Boutique in Parnell for Valentine's Day, yum yum!
Tuesday and Wednesday were regular busy days with the bar course from 6-9 so not really any time for training since I didn't want to get up super early and had Tessa in the afternoons.
Thursday, I cycled to the pool, went for a swim went to yoga early and then was off to the last night of my bar course for the week. We had to make 3 drinks in 3.5 minutes. It was pretty funny to see where people went wrong under pressure and so short on time. Jordan, the main guy running the course promises us we'll all be able to do it easily for our exam next Thursday. Then on my way to yoga, I ran into Sophie in Newmarket, she was on her way to the train to head home and she said some girls were meeting up later so I met them in the viaduct after my course for a little.
Friday, I taught swim lessons again, so nice to be teaching in an outdoor heated pool in the summertime where all of the kids are just excited to get in and willing to stay in for nearly 2 hours!! We practiced with snorkel gear yesterday and next week, the lesson will be at Narrow Neck beach and they'll be getting even more practice with their snorkel gear. After the lessons, I cycled home, went for a run, had a shower and ferried into the city to meet all the girls (for Nina's last night of her year in NZ before returning to Germany! :( ) and go to the Chinese Lantern Festival to celebrate the year of the Rabbit. The festival was PACKED with people and there were lots of really cook lantern displays, music, little souvenir booths and food stalls! I had a mini half watermelon sliced up inside with a massive amount of ice cream on top! It was super yummy, but had FAR too many seeds. Later, An and I went to the ice bar to use our grabone vouchers that the other girls had already used one night back in December. You have to bundle up in a large winter coat, ugg boots and gloves. Everything inside is made of ice, including the glass you drink from. It was pretty chilly inside so we soon rejoined our friends in the bar next door. I ferried back to Devonport at 12am but there was no bus back to drop me at the end of Bayswater Ave. There was an English couple that lived on Bayswater Ave searching for a cab home so they said I could share one with them. While walking into town a little to find one, some guy stopped asking if we were looking for a taxi. Turns out the friends he was waiting for weren't actually on the ferry and he had given the guy a ride home before! So he gave us all a ride, really nice of him and didn't want any money. He was from Malibu, CA has been flying with Quantas the last 2 years and has his Master's Law degree from UCLA (he talked a lot in the 5 minute ride home!) Turns out he lives right on Bayswater Ave as well. Of course I would have accepted a ride if the other couple wasn't there as well!
This morning I had more swim lessons, and this week had 6, straigh from 9-12. That is certainly one way to make 3 hours fly by! I had a pretty lazy afternoon and went for a cycle after dinner. I am currently watching American Idol (because it's on Friday and Saturday nights here!) and then may go for a run after that...plans for tomorrow...more training, a swim lesson for Jake, yoga teacher's son, some tennis perhaps...
Here's a quick recap..
Monday: Took, the kids to school, got a few groceries, run and swim training, Valentine's Day cake baking, pick kids up from school, make their dinner and some for me, ferry over to the first night of my bar course at New Zealand's Professional Bar and Restaurant School. I was surprised at how huge a class it was (40 people or more) and at my table were 2 English girls, one Kiwi girl and a German guy. It's pretty fun and we not only learn a whole bunch of cocktail recipes but also barista skills, coffees and how to properly steam and pour milk, customer service, licensing, where different types of alcohol come from, what they're made from, how they're normally served. And we get TONS of time behind the bar to practice. Also, we could drink everything we make to practice if we really wanted to. Unfortunately, I decided to have a "dry month" before my triathlon with no alcohol so I am unable to take advantage of all the nice cocktails we make! Oh well! After the first night, I was taken to the Chocolate Boutique in Parnell for Valentine's Day, yum yum!
Tuesday and Wednesday were regular busy days with the bar course from 6-9 so not really any time for training since I didn't want to get up super early and had Tessa in the afternoons.
Thursday, I cycled to the pool, went for a swim went to yoga early and then was off to the last night of my bar course for the week. We had to make 3 drinks in 3.5 minutes. It was pretty funny to see where people went wrong under pressure and so short on time. Jordan, the main guy running the course promises us we'll all be able to do it easily for our exam next Thursday. Then on my way to yoga, I ran into Sophie in Newmarket, she was on her way to the train to head home and she said some girls were meeting up later so I met them in the viaduct after my course for a little.
Friday, I taught swim lessons again, so nice to be teaching in an outdoor heated pool in the summertime where all of the kids are just excited to get in and willing to stay in for nearly 2 hours!! We practiced with snorkel gear yesterday and next week, the lesson will be at Narrow Neck beach and they'll be getting even more practice with their snorkel gear. After the lessons, I cycled home, went for a run, had a shower and ferried into the city to meet all the girls (for Nina's last night of her year in NZ before returning to Germany! :( ) and go to the Chinese Lantern Festival to celebrate the year of the Rabbit. The festival was PACKED with people and there were lots of really cook lantern displays, music, little souvenir booths and food stalls! I had a mini half watermelon sliced up inside with a massive amount of ice cream on top! It was super yummy, but had FAR too many seeds. Later, An and I went to the ice bar to use our grabone vouchers that the other girls had already used one night back in December. You have to bundle up in a large winter coat, ugg boots and gloves. Everything inside is made of ice, including the glass you drink from. It was pretty chilly inside so we soon rejoined our friends in the bar next door. I ferried back to Devonport at 12am but there was no bus back to drop me at the end of Bayswater Ave. There was an English couple that lived on Bayswater Ave searching for a cab home so they said I could share one with them. While walking into town a little to find one, some guy stopped asking if we were looking for a taxi. Turns out the friends he was waiting for weren't actually on the ferry and he had given the guy a ride home before! So he gave us all a ride, really nice of him and didn't want any money. He was from Malibu, CA has been flying with Quantas the last 2 years and has his Master's Law degree from UCLA (he talked a lot in the 5 minute ride home!) Turns out he lives right on Bayswater Ave as well. Of course I would have accepted a ride if the other couple wasn't there as well!
This morning I had more swim lessons, and this week had 6, straigh from 9-12. That is certainly one way to make 3 hours fly by! I had a pretty lazy afternoon and went for a cycle after dinner. I am currently watching American Idol (because it's on Friday and Saturday nights here!) and then may go for a run after that...plans for tomorrow...more training, a swim lesson for Jake, yoga teacher's son, some tennis perhaps...
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| Turtle Band |
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| Sky tower from Albert Park |
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Swim Lessons!
Another busy week and weekend! I did a lot of training, yoga, and swim teaching!
Wednesday I drove the kids to athletics and watched some races and events. They were learning to do relay-type things with the 5-year-olds, just with half of them on one side of a straight away and the other half on the other in 2 teams. Libby ran the whole length with her hand out ready to tag, slowing her down just a bit. At least she was helping the other person get going more quickly!! Thursday night I went to yoga, Friday morning I went to yoga, and then rushed back to get the 12:10 ferry to make sure I was at the outdoor pool at Takapuna primary school before 1pm. The Belmont Swim Academy started through Steve Lindsey Swim School. Basically, a group of 26 9-10-year-olds came for lessons as part of their school day. We somehow managed to get them oranized into three different levels so each of us had close to 10 kids! It was pretty much madness but fun and the kids seemed to get semi-organized by the end. This week, we'll be helping them practice with snorkel and fins and then the week after that we'll be swimming in the ocean at Narrow Neck beach.
Saturday morning I went back to the Takapuna primary school pool for lessons from 9-12, much more manageable with classes of no more than 5 kids for me to teach. I've come to the general conclusion that Kiwi kids just do not listen. They just sort of do what they please. They are more polite, but don't listen well, whereas American children listen better to instructions but are more rude as well. Strange comparison, but I guess they all have to find their own ways of being challenging! After the lessons I came home for some lunch and then headed down to Narrow Neck for some tri training. I met Jenny and we did a swim in the choppy seas out to a marker buoy and then back at an angle then did the run course and then I showed her the cycle route in her car since she didn't have her bike. I did the cycle route after and then cycled home, showered and went to Jacques' friend's leaving bbq. Later on I met Sophie, Astrid and Jenny in Takapuna, where not a lot was going on. There was a pretty cool party at Cafe Massimo with an outdoor dance floor, but other than that, the Takapuna nightlife was pretty dead as usual!
This morning, I taught Jake, Sharon the yoga teacher's son, a swim lesson at Takapuna, something we'll continue every week from now on! Then she brought me into the studio where we met some other people for a photo shoot. They want some new photos for their website, and they are also making a GrabOne voucher for beginner classes, so I may end up on the advertisement for that online! Watch HERE to see if it appears!
Tomorrow, I start my bar course in the evening, and doing some beginning yoga teaching in the morning after dropping the kids at school. I think I'll mostly be helping make adjustments to people who aren't in the correct positioning. Looks like another busy week ahead! Oh I'll have to start doing some early morning swimming as well, since I won't have time in the evenings! Yikes!
Wednesday I drove the kids to athletics and watched some races and events. They were learning to do relay-type things with the 5-year-olds, just with half of them on one side of a straight away and the other half on the other in 2 teams. Libby ran the whole length with her hand out ready to tag, slowing her down just a bit. At least she was helping the other person get going more quickly!! Thursday night I went to yoga, Friday morning I went to yoga, and then rushed back to get the 12:10 ferry to make sure I was at the outdoor pool at Takapuna primary school before 1pm. The Belmont Swim Academy started through Steve Lindsey Swim School. Basically, a group of 26 9-10-year-olds came for lessons as part of their school day. We somehow managed to get them oranized into three different levels so each of us had close to 10 kids! It was pretty much madness but fun and the kids seemed to get semi-organized by the end. This week, we'll be helping them practice with snorkel and fins and then the week after that we'll be swimming in the ocean at Narrow Neck beach.
Saturday morning I went back to the Takapuna primary school pool for lessons from 9-12, much more manageable with classes of no more than 5 kids for me to teach. I've come to the general conclusion that Kiwi kids just do not listen. They just sort of do what they please. They are more polite, but don't listen well, whereas American children listen better to instructions but are more rude as well. Strange comparison, but I guess they all have to find their own ways of being challenging! After the lessons I came home for some lunch and then headed down to Narrow Neck for some tri training. I met Jenny and we did a swim in the choppy seas out to a marker buoy and then back at an angle then did the run course and then I showed her the cycle route in her car since she didn't have her bike. I did the cycle route after and then cycled home, showered and went to Jacques' friend's leaving bbq. Later on I met Sophie, Astrid and Jenny in Takapuna, where not a lot was going on. There was a pretty cool party at Cafe Massimo with an outdoor dance floor, but other than that, the Takapuna nightlife was pretty dead as usual!
This morning, I taught Jake, Sharon the yoga teacher's son, a swim lesson at Takapuna, something we'll continue every week from now on! Then she brought me into the studio where we met some other people for a photo shoot. They want some new photos for their website, and they are also making a GrabOne voucher for beginner classes, so I may end up on the advertisement for that online! Watch HERE to see if it appears!
Tomorrow, I start my bar course in the evening, and doing some beginning yoga teaching in the morning after dropping the kids at school. I think I'll mostly be helping make adjustments to people who aren't in the correct positioning. Looks like another busy week ahead! Oh I'll have to start doing some early morning swimming as well, since I won't have time in the evenings! Yikes!
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