my little corner

Christmas is the time for giving. As a client it’s nice to receive gifts from suppliers. But if you’re planning on gifting any of the following to your clients think again.

5. Anything hand made – sure you may have put the time and effort in but unless you’re 5 years old handmade gifts are hard to pull off without seeming cheap.

4. Anything with your suppliers logo on it – pens, mousepads, drink bottles. You get it.

3. Pot plants – WTF. I can’t eat or drink these.

2. 12 beautifully wrapped boxes with stale food in each. This one looks like you’re getting something cool but as you unwrap each box you quickly realise how lame this gift is .
1. Shit $2 ceramic angels. I don’t care if it is a corporate gift and comes with some witty card about how you can be an “angel” by donating to a charity of your choice. C- marketing. Show me the chocolates and wine.

Lets be honest here, most girls have dated an asshole at some stage in their life. If you’re a serial offender like me then you’ll know the signs. But even if you do know the signs sometimes you can still get sucked in. So I’ve asked some of my girlfriends, who also have dated assholes, what to look out for.  Here’s our list:

1. Never calls you except when he feels like it
2. Never invites you out with his friends and when he does introduces you as a work colleague
3. Always wants to split the bill. Always.
4. Does nice things for his friends who are girls but never you
5. When he doesn’t get his way he will storm out of bars, cafes, restaurants etc and leave you sitting by yourself. Awesome. Winner
6. Never apologises even when he admits he was an asshole
7. Only ever wants to do things he enjoys
8. Tells you you could do with a gym workout or two
9. Yells at you when he doesn’t get his own way
10. Promises to do things with you then can’t be reached until you threaten to call his parents. “Well, you’ve got 24 hours to organise something else”. Fair to say New years 2010/2011 wasn’t the best!

5. Tawharanui – Tawaharanui National Park is home to some of New Zealand’s most stunning white sand East Coast  beaches. There is a campgrounds here though it’s very basic so you’ll have to be preapred to rough it. Located 90km’s  North of Auckland there are some quaint towns neraby like  Matakana so if you do get desperate for civilisation this is an option.

4. Sandfly Bay is an isolated surf beach on the Otago Pennisula. To access the beach you’ll need to walk across a farm and down some sand dunes but the effort is truly worth it. If you’re lucky you’ll get to see some seals hanging out on the beach. Given it’s located deep in the South Island, warm clothing is recommended regardless of the season.

3.  Mangawhai Heads. Conveniently located one and a half hours north of Auckland Mangawhai Heads makes for a great trip if you’re short on time.  There’s heaps to do aside from some see side frolicking you could go to the markets, charter a boat and go fishing or do a wine trail.  Here’s a more comprehensive list. 

Simple and easy but best not to think too much about what goes in this one.

Ingredients

• 250g full fat cream cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tins of smoked salmon
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 2 teaspoons of lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons of french mustard
• 4 shallots
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• Salt and pepper

Method

Beat cream cheese until smooth, add sour cream and mayonnaise, beat until smooth.  Fold in drained, chopped salmon, lemon rind, lemon juice, mustard, chopped shallots and parsley, mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate.

Born and bred in Dunedin I can honestly put my hand on my heart and say there are some truly awesome things to do in this great city. More often than not tourists (and most New Zealanders) don’t get as far south as Dunedin rather opting to go from Christchurch to Queenstown. Shame on you.