Pecha Kucha Dontcha Know

The first Wellington Pecha Kucha night is being held this Thursday, 5th July at Hope Bros.

It is a format for creative talks restricting each speaker to 400 seconds, comprising 20 slides shown for 20 seconds each. Some more info at the esteemable Wikipedia .

Audience spaces are limited – by all accounts the Auckland event was a blast – and tickets cost 7 clams.

“V” 48 Hours National Final – Live at The Establishment

Maori Detective posterFriends, supporters and other interested parties are invited to assemble at The Establishment on the corner of Blair St and Courtenay Place on Sunday evening to watch a bit of telly, specifically the C4 broadcast of the “V” 48 Hours National Final.

Three Wellington films are in contention for the big prize (and the even bigger prize for Best Cinematography): Wellington winner Maori Detective and the Boogie Fever (Team Good Times) and Peter Jackson-selected wildcards Shooting Star (Will She Wait) and WhoreCop 3: Night Justice (The Three Dicks).

Viewers around the country will be voting by text as soon as the show finishes – come along and add your support. The broadcast starts at 8.30 but the entire Wellington Final 12 (plus Taika Waititi’s ineligible but hilarious Arab Samurai) will be screened again from 7.30 to warm you up.

Early warning: The Wellingtonista Quiz League

I’ve been rather quiet on the Wellingtonista front (well, for me anyway) because I’ve been busy finishing up my contract and looking for a new job (anyone who knows of a new home for a person with tremendous writing, editing and communication skills who knows the internets like the back of her hand should get in touch), but when I come back from a tropical holiday, the Wellingtonista will be very very excited to announce the start of the Wellingtonista Quiz League.

This will be held a different inner-city pub each week on Tuesday night for four weeks, and point totals is what you’re after. So start assembling your team of four now, and look out for more details in the second week of July.

You will want to enter this, no one who participated in the Bowling League regretted it, and I’m sure they would happily furnish you with testmonials about the awesomeness that is participating in a Wellingtonista event!

Exhibition: Cameo Appearance

The exhibition Cameo Appearance at Mary Newton Gallery brings together eight artists working in the area of the portrait – Tony Bond, Gavin Hurley, Anna-Marie O’Brien, Gary Freemantle, Tanja Nola, Octavia Cook, Areta Wilkinson and David Cauchi.

And then my magical art powers failed me, 2007 by David Cauchi

And then my magical art powers failed me, 2007 by David Cauchi

Ghetto Red Hot

Man, I don’t know how many times i’ve promised the NiceUp Crew that I’ll get along to one of their gigs…

It’s just that I’m getting real long in the tooth, even though I’m a huuuge fan of dancehall reggae and ska.

But don’t let me being old stop you from having a grand old time!

Get yourself along to Ghetto Red Hot on June 23.

And then write and tell us old geezers how excellent it was.

Pruning With The Stars! Sunday 17 June

Norm Hewitt?This weekend sees the Annual Rose Pruning Demonstration at the Lady Norwood Rose Garden in the Botanic Gardens.

Want to bone up on proper garden maintenance? This is your chance! The Wellington City Council has laid on the roses, and the experts. There will be tips on both pruning AND growing your roses. Dancing with the Stars contestants may or may not be there. The same goes for the surviving Beatles & Nastassja Kinski, but I remain hopeful.

I usually make wise with the Rose puns at this point, but she emailed this year & asked me to kindly stop.

There are two sessions:

1.30 – 2.30pm: pruning modern roses in the Lady Norwood Rose Garden. Meet at the Begonia House.

2.30 – 3.30pm: pruning rambling and heritage roses at the Bolton Street Memorial Park. Meet at the Seddon Memorial.

Grab your blades & go to it!

Addendum – Glow Worms:

While I’m on the subject of the Gardens, I happened upon an official person taking a bunch of schoolkids on a glow worm tour last week & feel I should pass on the intelligence I gleaned on my way past them. The poor lady was stretched thin by 10 or so bored & restless boys. It didn’t help that there were no worms glowing at all.

I’d wondered for a while, from personal experience, but as the lady snapped at the boys she confirmed my theory that glow worms put on their best display after rain or a heavy dew (I do not know why this is).

So should you be planning a visit, do so soon after rain & while the worms can be found in most places in the Gardens, the easiest to find & arguably best are on the main track between Glen Road & the Duckpond.

Webstock Mini

The handy pocket-sized version of Webstock returns to Wellington on Tuesday next week. You might think it’s all for uber nerds and super geeks, but you would be wrong.

In fact, research just in has shown that attending Webstock Minis has been scientifically proven to make you more interesting, better-looking and all round more desirable. And, honestly, that’s regardless of how much you drink!

For your ticket price you can learn about some cool things like Second Life, the upcoming version of Firefox and all you can eat and drink.

The whole thing winds up with a debate entitled “Web 2.0 is all fizz and no substance”. Mike Brown, Sandy Mamoli and
Mark Cubey will uphold the proposition against Philip Fierlinger, Brenda Leeuwenberg and Che Tibby.

We are fully in the negative camp, because the team features one of our newest Wellingtonistas, Che Tibby.

Register for Webstock Mini:
http://www.webstock.org.nz

Ukes at lunch

Two events at the libraryWe love the library. We do. And many of us are in there at least once a week, and not just to admire the architecture. (For some of us it has something to do with those kid’s pacifiers DVDs having just a seven day loan period. But we digress.)

Like the Wellingtonista, the library too is celebrating NZ Music month – they’re hosting a quiz that always ends with the chance to win a well known brand of MP3 player. Nice.

But even better, there’s a performance by local Super Group The Wellington International Ukelele Orchestra this Thursday 12:30pm at the library.

If you are feeling brave enough to visit MySpace, check out some videos here. And should your immersion in the Wellington music scene be as pitifully shallow as this sad individual‘s, then you should consider your attendance on Thursday to be compulsory.

Pop Levi

Hey I’m excited. Liverpudlian nu-glam and ex-Ladytron bassist Pop Levi is bringing his hyperactive T. Rex-isms to the Bathhouse.

More info after the jump.

Food! Show!

Hurray, it’s finally here. You know how we feel about the Food Show, so really, nothing more needs to be said except for what better way to drink off your hangover from Country Club: England?