September 24, 2011

The Film Archive - Soup and Seat series

Last week we checked out the National Archives so this week we thought we'd check out the Film Archive.

The Film Archive is currently running a series of films and documentaries on Friday lunch times called Soup and a Seat. Why? Because you get a cup of real soup to eat, with a slice of bread, while you watch your film. The price isn't bad either, only $8 for food and entertainment.

Surprisingly the theatre is like any other theatre; huge screen, dark room, and comfy seats. The soup was good but not great and the bread was small so don't expect this to fill you up - you'll probably need to get lunch after. The films on offer are of a variety, something to interest everyone and most relatively recent. If you find something you want to watch we think it is worth it.

There are only two Fridays left in the Soup and a Seat series so get down to the Film Archive soon.

Full details about the Soup and Seat series here.

Visit the Film Archive on the web and on Facebook.

Location: The Film Archive, 84 Taranaki Street, Wellington

Price: $8, $6 (students)

Both Archives are open to the public free of charge. You can request to see their holdings for research or interest.

September 16, 2011

Sufferage Day 19 September

You always knew NZ women were awesome but did you know they were the first in the world (as a country) to be allowed to vote? We celebrate this each year on the 19th of September.

So what does Wellington have planned for Sufferage Day? We discovered not much.

There is an exhibition at Archives NZ

The exhibition is open to the public till 26 September 9-5 Monday-Friday at the National Archives, 10 Mulgrave Street, Thorndon.

You can even view or order a scanned copy of the petition online.

There is an exhibition at the main Hutt City Library

The exhibition is open to the public 12-26 September during normal opening hours.

These two exhibitions are essentially the same: a copy of the petition for you to flip though, a series of posters and a dummy with a sandwich board. The sandwich board is the most interesting part. It is an advertisement (presumably from the Archives) saying the proprietor will not serve women seeking the vote and instead they should go home, feed their husbands and look after their children. The only difference between the two exhibits is that the actual petition is on view at Archives...or at least it is meant to be, it certainly wasn't earlier in the week.

Overall this is disappointing, calling these exhibitions is a bit of a stretch. Wellington is the political capital of New Zealand, the first country to grant women the right to vote. New Zealand is currently hosting visitors from all over the world surely we can do more than this to showcase one of our proudest moments in history?

For more information on Suffrage 2011 check out the Ministry of Women's Affairs.

You can even search the petition online to see if one of your ancestors signed.

If you want to read a cheap book on Sufferage here is a recent deal for Leading the Way. How New Zealand Women Won the Vote

September 15, 2011

Mr Green - home cleaning

According to the Mr Green website they offer home cleaning and garden maintenance. We have tired their home cleaning package.

They do a thorough clean; everything is wiped, dusted and vacuumed (they can even get those rings out of the bathtub!). What they don't do is tidy and I don't know about you but that is my major problem. Perhaps this is just part of the package deal we bought if it's not please let us know. Mr Green asks you to prepare before they turn up by clearing all benches so they have the space to wipe down as they don't sort or tidy. Your place will look good, clean but may still be a mess (with things pushed to the edges).

Mr Green has an online booking site which allows you to chose day and time but staff are known to arrive up to two hours early! This is great if it is an urgent clean, but not so great if you aren't home at the time. A text will arrive to tell you if they will be early but even if you say no they can still turn up earlier than planned. The other downside is that you can't often book on short notice so you may need to wait one or two weeks for your clean.

Mr Green offers free quotes; you can ask online, call or email them. They have contact details available nationally, you may chose to speak with the head office or the local representative.

Mr Green has been known to offer full home cleans for $55 on Groupy.

They have yet to reply to a request for a quote, we will update when they do.

You can find them on the web

September 14, 2011

Final Burlesque Class

Last night was the final in the six week Teaser course of burlesque classes taught by Miss Busty la Belle (and Crystal Mischief). If you are planning on missing any classes don't let it be this one - hell just turn up for this one!

After a brief warm up the rest of the class focused on a routine danced to Istanbul (not Constantinople), which is the routine Busty demonstrated to the class on our very first week. It was a great way to end the class, bringing it full circle and including everything we had learnt.

The class dressed up for the occasion; all that was called for was a button top and skirt with rear zip, although some members chose to wear clothing beneath these items there were some who only had undewear, stockings and corsets. (Is it weird that Crystal Mischief looks more normal to me out of her clothes than in them?) Obviously some of us had been shopping!

There were a couple of downsides:
- nerves at taking clothes off (even though we are all girls)
- the night was freezing
- students weren't familiar with some of the moves
- the music and moves were a little out of synch (this could be because we were slow as we were learning)
- it was the last class!

All in all I would reccomend this class to any woman of any age as it is great fun and helps build self confidence, you never know you might suprise yourself.

Check out reviews for week one, two and weeks three-five.

September 10, 2011

Monster Burlesque

I am still reeling from the strange fabulousness of Monster Burlesque. Want to see zombies dancing to Missy Elliot? Want to see roosters dance a paso doble then literally cock fight with their giant cocks? Want to see blood wresting? Want to see aerial hoop and fabric dancing? You'll see it all and more at Monster Burlesque.

At times the show was arty to the point of confusion but this disappeared as each act progressed. The costumes were interesting mixtures of fur, feathers and standard burlesque fare (corsets, stockings, pasties). It was sometimes difficult to tell the males from the females, especially as some males were dressed in traditionally female clothing, the females were often so thin as to be androgynous and the faces were often indiscernible through thick makeup and masks.

This experience is not likely to be equaled and should not be missed.

This is a late show so make sure you organise transport home before the show eg. taxi, midnight bus, train (1pm are the last ones!)

On tonight and Thursday - Saturday next week!
Time: 10.30pm -12am
Price: $46
Venue: Paramount Theatre, Courtenay Place
Buy tickets here

September 9, 2011

Burlesque class (Teaser weeks 3-5)

I had intended to write a full review of the venue for the classes but I think the content is of more interest. The classes are centrally located in Cuba mall, great if you want to grab dinner before or after. The venue itself leaves a lot to be desired; it has creaky wooden floors, wonky stairs, dingy bathroom etc etc. Not at all glamourous as you would expect from this sort of class. I just hope the rooms get renovated soon, even the Wellington Performing Arts Room have finally been done, surely Tarrant Stuidos can't afford to be left behind.

Here is a recap of what the class has been learning:
Week three - gloves. Who knew that long gloves could look so elegant but be so dirty? Moves include the trumbone and necktie. Tip: pull the fingers out a little so you the gloves don't get caught and you don't end up biting your finger!
Week four - cheesecake / good girl / dolly routine. So sugary sweet your teeth will hurt, and your face from smiling so much. Track: Honey
Week five - vixen / bad girl / bombshell routine. Track: I Put a Spell on You
Week six (upcoming) - removal of clothes other than gloves involved (gasp!), some costume required - what a way to end the class!

Miss la Belle has a graduation performance coming up in October for her level 2 class. Unfortuantely anyone wanting to attend a level 2 class will need to wait till next year. But for all of you who have yet to find the courage or time to attend a level 1 class next term (starting 11 October) Miss la Belle will be offering two classes! One at 6pm and one at 7pm, that means more people can attend. Check it out here.

Anything else you'd like to know? Just ask!

Check out reviews for week onetwo and six.

September 8, 2011

Rosemary Killip - Passion for Life

Recently this reviewer attended a free seminar run by Rosemary Killip the topic (as the title indicates) was Passion for Life. As it turns out the title is not just the title of the seminar but also of Rosemary's philosophy and new found business.

Held at the Bolton hotel the food was excellent (including shots of fruit juice) as was the rest of the venue. The only downside was the lack of advertising around the hotel which meant there were no directions for attendees to follow.

The seminar covered some of Rosemary's story, how she got what she wanted out of life and come to be living her passion. One member of the audience maintained her scepticism and Rosemary handled those comments well. As far as I could tell it was a meeting to promote her business; she provides individual coaching and has several workshops coming up.

Rosemary spoke with passion and certainly inspired me to live a better life but as much as I would love to attend one of her workshops in this economy can I really afford it?

You can find her on Facebook and the web

August 31, 2011

Results Room

As the name suggests the crew at Results Room focus on results. The trainer specialist gym opened this year and although they have a limited number of clients they are fast headed toward full capacity.

The trainers are young and rather attractive which is at least partly to be expected from a personal trainer. Don’t let their looks fool you, they are also very good at what they do. They use functional training with varying activities to train and test. Every six weeks they will reassess your fitness compared to your goals, if you are trying to lose weight they will weigh you fortnightly. Oh and the best bit, you don't have to join and they'll make you a programme for your gym.

Results Room is conveniently located in Featherston Street, the building isn’t terribly nice but the gym is. The equipment is surprisingly minimal, for the small space you would expect it to be packed in, it is all top of the line and functional – nothing without purpose. The toilets (at least the womens) are separate from the changing rooms which is a bit odd but probably due to space constraints. The changing rooms themselves are small but like the rest of the gym pleasant and practical.

The price is a bit prohibitive (the cheapest around $70) and there is unfortunately no option to see a trainer less than once a week. The price is made up of your membership fee (should you choose to join) and your trainer fee (discounted if you are a member). The shortest period you can attend is for six months (even if you aren’t a member).

We think it’s a great concept especially if you can afford it. We recommend it for anyone who has a specific goal in mind; these guys will get you there.

See them on facebook or the web.

August 11, 2011

Burlesque class - week two


I crept into my second class, more nervous than the previous week, feeling like a spy. Thankfully my review was not mentioned (at least within my hearing).
The class is women only, all appear to be in there 20's and 30's. There was at least one perfect specimen of womenhood amongst the varied shapes and sizes (all beautiful in their own way). The assistant teacher Crystal managed to appeared half dressed though all that was missing from last week were her shoes and fascinator, how strange that I now consider full underwear (including corset) to be dressed! I spent the class wishing I had Miss la Belle's looks (her talent and wardrobe wouldn't bother me either) unable to agree with comments that she looks like an average woman.
This week we reviewed everything from the last class and improved on it by adding facial expressions. I don’t remember when I last felt that ridiculous or embarrassed. New moves for this week were hip movements including the bump and grind, front bumps and the washing machine - all designed to draw attention to your hips and buttocks. Posing was great fun, learning to stand like Marilyn or in the bombshell pose (the secret is if it is uncomfortable then you are doing it right).
Our homework for the week was to gasp (which lifts the breasts) and watch peoples reactions. Now I just need to find someone to flirt with...
Next post I will discuss the venue. If you have any questions please comment or email me wellingtonreviews@gmail.com
Check out reviews for week one, weeks three-five and six.

August 7, 2011

Miss la Belle's House of Burlesque -Teaser Class

The two things in vogue amongst my group of friends are burlesque and roller derby (though enthusiasm for the latter seems to be slipping). As I am a bit on the heavy and unfit side of things both seem quite daunting but at least with burlesque I'm less likely to break any bones so I decided to give it a try.

Having seen Miss la Belle on her website, Facebook, performing at Carousel and her own students graduation I was (I thought) prepared to be taught by her. In person she is just as charming as on stage, with encouragement and a laugh for each student. Miss La Belle and her feisty assistant led the class through the basic movements of burlesque: shimmies, walks, struts, hip movements, beautiful arms, posture and eye contact ("Am I looking? Yes I am."). The most challenging part was walking in heels for an hour - the one required item of costume though I covet the outfits of our teachers (heels, fishnets, suspenders, corsets and bejeweled bras).

Having tried several styles of dancing (Latin, Ballroom, Rock n Roll, Jazz, Ballet, Tap, Belly Dancing) this is definitely my favourite; it is fun and I feel beautiful. I think by the end of the six weeks it will have done wonders for my self confidence...perhaps not so much that I'd be willing to do it in front of anyone though.

If you are interested in classes the next round starts in October and costs $100.

Please let me know in the comments if you have any questions - if there is interest I am happy to review each of the six classes.

Check out reviews for week two,  weeks three-five and six.