Tid bits and tasty things

  • If you’re in town before 6pm today, sneak into the Software Freedom Day at the Michael Fowler Centre for a free Havana coffee. Don’t tell them that I sent you though.
  • The previously mentioned Kayu Manis (you’re a manus!) – the Indonesian/Malaysian restaurant on Cuba Street is now BYO, which makes its $18 mains much more palatable. Also, the food is super fresh tasting, and the atmosphere is much nicer than your standard Malaysian joint, so we suggest that you check it out.
  • The frequently apostrophe-catastrophic Electric Avenue now sports a banner advertising its music quiz on Thursday nights as being the only music quiz in town. Apparently Abel Smith Street, home to the music quiz on Thursday nights at the Cross is a suburb.
  • Radio Active 89FM’s Handle the Jandal, the nationwide DIY music video competiton, is back for 2008 and is calling for entries for this year’s competition, to be held November 27 at Wellington’s St James Theatre. Go to Radio Active’s site for more information.
  • Don’t forget to sign up for Bowling League.

Bowling league is back: bigger, better and braver than before!

I love ballsOh my stars, we are so very excited to announce that the Wellingtonista Bowling League for 2008 is about to start. Next Thursday September 25 to be exact, at 6.30pm at The Lanes on Wakefield Street. What does this mean for you/your organisation/social circle? It means that you have to find three friends to form a team (or more, members can rotate in and out at will), come up with a name and register here before next Tuesday 23 September so we can come up with a table and you can start insulting your competition.. The league will last for as many weeks as there are teams (with a maximum of eight teams due to the space I’ve booked), minus one, as we’ll play round robin.

The rules on the night are as follows:

  • If at the end of the game your team’s sum total (total of all four players) is higher than your opposition’s then you get four competition points.
  • If your team consumes more than four beverages (or averages more than one per player) you get a bonus competition point
  • The team with the highest sum total on the night gets an extra bonus point.
  • There will be one random league point awarded on the night in an area of our choosing. The first one will be for the best-dressed team.
  • Trash-talking AND fraternising with the enemy are both highly encouraged.

So if you booze up and roll like a god your team could come away with seven points.

We really did have a tremendous amount of fun last year, made new friends, business contacts and drinking buddies, so what are you waiting for? Sign up already!

Back in ‘Nam (someone is pleased to think of the children)

Save the childrenI’m having flashbacks. There’s three courses of delicious food. There’s an auction with amazing goods to be won like a stay in a French villa, a 32 inch TV and an assortment of wines. There’s a commitment to raise $6000 for Save the Children and cycle 400km in Vietnam.

Hang on a second, it’s not a flashback at all! It’s an upcoming event – a Vietnamese banquet and charity auction on September 29 at Restaurant 88. Tickets are $50 and are available from their website, and you should get one. If you don’t like Vietnamese food or good causes, do it purely because ClickSuite won the most outgoing award in last year’s Wellingtonista Bowling Awards, so you’re guaranteed good company on the night.

Free the software, free yourself!

Software Freedom Day (SFD) is a worldwide celebration of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) to be held this year on Saturday 20th September, 2008.

Our goal in this celebration is to educate the worldwide public about the benefits of using high quality FOSS in education, in government, at home, and in business — in short, everywhere!

So what’s happening in Wellington? Well, there’s a hackfest, a bar camp and free coffee all day long. Check out the software freedom day site for more information…

‘Safe For Life’ Women’s Self Defence Seminar – Wellington

Although the last thing in the world that I want is for the Wellingtonista to come across like traditional frighteners media, I think we can all acknowledge that sometimes the world can be a scary place for women (and men), so here’s something you can go to that might make it a little less scary.

Protect, who teach reality-based self-defense, is running a seminar entitled ‘Safe For Life’ in Wellington on Saturday October 18. If you don’t want to take the bus out to Khandallah by yourself, how about you go with Leaf, Probably?

I haven’t been to one of their courses, so I can’t tell you what it’s like, but I do appreciate that they advertise one of the things that they teach is confidence, which will provide a healthy reminder that no one is ever asking to get attacked or deserves it (just be wary: possibly NSFW).

Don’t forget to win yourself a new phone

Today’s the second to last day to enter our competition to win a new Vodafone phone because we’re going to draw it at noon tomorrow. Having had a 6121 for a couple of weeks now, I have to tell you that it’s pretty damn awesome for checking your email on, especially while waiting for your bags at airports. Except for today when the network didn’t seem to be working. So what are you waiting for?

Congratulations Cat! The Randomizer picked your number, so you’ve won yourself a fantastic new phone. We’ll be in touch to get your delivery address.

And Bingo was its name O

Hipster Bingo is too easy
Sure, you already play Hipster Bingo at the SFBH, but have you thought about playing the real game instead? From the good people who bring you the movie quiz at the Paramount comes a new way to spend your Sunday afternoons: Hangover Bingo!

It will be happening for the first time at 2pm on Sunday 7th September at the Courtenay Arms.

Settle down in front of a warm fire, with yummy food, some hair of the dog and a few leisurely games of bingo!

Cash Money to be won plus loads of other goodies. Go along and make it a success so that it can become a regular event.

Win a new phone! Go mobile in Wellington thanks to Vodafone

nokiaAs a website for people who are constantly on the go around Wellington, we recently got contacted by Vodafone who wanted us to know that they’re changing the way their mobile internet works.

Vodafone is making it even easier for people to connect to the internet – wherever they are – with the launch of revamped mobile data pricing and a smart backend that reformats webpages for easy viewing on a mobile screen.

Now, for up to just $1 a day on the days you use it, casual users of the mobile internet can browse the world wide web easily and inexpensively… without committing to a fixed monthly data contract.

The new $1 a day casual rate gives customers up to 10MB of data.

And how do we know this is actually true? Because we’ve got a new Nokia 6121. And even more excitingly, we’ve got one to give away, so you can have a chance to find out for yourself too. Find out how after the jump.

If you like movies, quizzes and the Paramount, boy do we have a deal for you!

Are you still in withdrawl from the Film Festival? Are you trying to come up with any reason to head back to the theatre, even if it’s just for the ice cream?

Guess what? From this Thursday onwards, the Paramount Theatre is starting a weekly movie quiz “A quiz in 60 minutes” at 9pm in the Paramount Bar.

Movie fans will be invited to take part in this unique and free quiz night to compete for a chance to win a fortnight’s free movies for two people and a number of other spot prizes.

“There are a lot of very knowledgeable movie fans out there; we are really looking forward to offering something a bit different. I don’t think any other cinema has done this before in Wellington” say Kate Larkindale, Manager of the Paramount.

“After the success of the film festival this year, we are excited about this quiz night. People will be able to see a movie at after work and then have a drink and stretch their brains for an hour”.

The quiz night will be only 60 minutes long, covering all areas of film, and all decades. Movie quotes, Oscar winners, theme tunes, Movie taglines, actors, directors – it’s all in there!

Check out the Paramount website for more information.

Have a Caeli – that’s Ball to you!

Cystic Fibrosis is a cause close to the hearts of some of the Wellingtonista, so we’re really happy to promote the Winter Caeli (Scottish Ball) at the Intercontinental on August 23.

This fundraising ball will be an event like nothing ever seen before in Wellington – find out how things are done the Scottish way and help raise money in style

Tickets are $90, and for that you get:

  • Welcome bubbles
  • Three course meal
  • Wine with dinner
  • Live music
  • Scottish dancing
  • Fundraising auction and raffle

For more information or to buy tickets, contact 0800 651122 or CFwinterball@gmail.com