"Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life. Aim above morality. Be not simply good; be good for something" 

Henry David Thoreau

Day 139: Kokako monitoring in the Hunuas!

The Kokako

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%8Dkako

Had the most amazing trip with Tony and Issy! Headed off to the Hunua’s and found ourselves some Kokako!

Drove up to the Hunua’s on Thursday afternoon (Issy being the amazing driver J), through Clevedon and up Moumoukai Hill. Met a fantastic ranger – Dave, and hiked to the hut in the management zone on the edge of Hunua.

There’s something special about going to the bush. As a ‘city girl’, I’m so used to seeing roads, cars, etc. and heading to the bush is almost like a catharsis from civilisation. In there, there is nought but birdsound and a this all encompassing tranquility. The floor is littered with plant matter at varying stages of decomposition, and there is a gentle, almost ‘untouched’ sense to the place. It's a far cry from what I generally experience as the 'norm'. 

We spent the evening cooking up a gourmet dinner, then played cards, and had a long yarn. It’s amazing to see how many places people have been to – all over the North Island, Sumatra, Tanzania, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India… if there’s one thing that I want to do more of, it’s travel!

Dave is incredibly knowledgeable about the bush and nature. I’d say that learning about biology, ecology – anything, is best done when you’re ‘in the zone’.

Here’s a sample of what I picked up:

-     -   There are 247 different types of sparrow in America. (2 types in NZ)

-     -   Trap numbers are used to measure track distances – e.g. 19 traps set along the trail to the hut.

-     -   There are around 2000 Kokakos in New Zealand, and around 22 nests in the management area.

-  

-   -     Rats are quite shy. Un-poisoned bait (peanut butter) is laid out to acclimatise the rats to the traps, and are only baited during the nesting season.

-     -   Rats can travel up to 700m a night!

-      -  The ‘walking dead’ are rats that have been poisoned, but continue to wreak havoc in the hours before their death.

-     -   Cyanide is the best poison – and apparently, you can even eat the animal afterwards if you were so inclined. (well, logically, it only knocks out cytochrome c3 in the mitochondria..)

-       - A ‘ring of steel’ is normally laid around kokako nesting sites to reduce the risk of predators reaching the nesting site. (Ring of steel = traps)

-      -  Lebanese Halva (dessert) is primarily made out of grounded sesame seeds.

On Birds: (n.b. It’s incredibly to describe bird calls by writing…)

- Grey Warbler – extremely noisy – goes like this: La la la l aaaa-la-la –la – kind of didactic, but melodic at the same time. I’ve never seen them in Auckland before – but I hear them all the time! They were by far the noisiest birds in the bush (and city!)

- Kingfisher: Go – kree—kree—kree

- Magpie (yes – there are magpies!)… are surprisingly melodic – are highly musical, acting almost as if they sing duet.

- Tomtits – small things. Have an interesting name. 

- Bellbirds - give a bell-like peal (I initially mistook them for the kokako)

- Tui – (very common in Hunua) - make very large ‘whooshing’ sounds [incredibly noisy fliers] and sing their songs with variation – from harsh ‘crh crh crh’ to ‘do-do-dooo-do-do-do-do’

- Wood pigeon - huge, clumsy fliers - sound like the rock pigeon, but heavier. 

- Kokako (Pronounced as ‘kor-ka-ko’) makes a longer call - almost bell like. It’s sounds somewhat mournful in a beautiful way.  Flaps sporadically.

Other animals present were:  Morepork (heard at night), sparrows (two types in New Zealand, the common house sparrow, and those with a red head), goats, wild pigs (saw the holes that they dug), flies (yep), pheasants, rabbits.

There was also a lot of interesting plant life around. For example, the kawakawa can be picked, dried and used as pepper for tea, or seasoning. It’s used by the Maori as a traditional painkiller. There was also one type of fern that can be used like chick peas and added  to bread, and some other plant that is halfway between morphine and cannabis. On the hike outwards, Dave also showed us the native ‘green hooded orchid’.

Dave points out the Green Hooded Orchid

This morning, the group got up at 5:30am (It’s amazing how sunrise and bird sound at the top of a mountain can wake you up J) trekked out to the track, and listened for kokako.

As I said, there is a sense of stillness, a quiet tranquillity that lies within the bush. When one sits and simply listens, it’s almost as if whole new world suddenly opens up. The search itself felt almost like a martial art – eyes peering into the bush, ears perked up for the slightest wing flap – a flutter in the trees there, a crack of a branch…The silence was palpable – I could even hear a leaf fall from 10 metres away.

I wouldn’t have expected it, but there are in fact so many birds present in the bush that we never see. There’s also something so beautiful about the way that Dave listens for birds. He spends up to weeks at a time in the bush – twelve weeks or more, with occasional returns to the house. He’s been around for three years. It’s amazing to think that his days largely constitute of ranging in the bush, setting traps, searching for kokako nests, monitoring the activity of the kokako… He has so much patience - so much dedication. A life of nature, the bush, birds, rescue and animals…music, cooking and nature…I learnt so much about connecting with the bush just by being with him. I felt so deer-like– poised and turning my head at every sound. Dave is amazing – he can tell the direction that the noise is coming from, and how far it is.

During the next three hours,  we banded out along the ridge, moved around various locations in accordance with the kokako calls and wing flaps. We eventually found the birds around 9:30am. It happened while Dave and Tony were still walking to the next location. I had suddenly seen movement  and then - a bird flap –oh! Was it a tui? Oh my! A grey bird! Hold on - is it dark enough to be a tui? Yes! It’s definitely grey! I fumbled for the button on my radio and called the group ‘I think that I see a kokako! It’s at the tree to the right of the one that we were watching! I’m pretty sure it’s it –oh! I see two of them! They’re right in front of me!

Dave (cool and calm): ‘We’re heading on over’.

After settling around the new tree, we monitored for another twenty minutes, and saw the birds come and go. It was my first time seeing one of these birds live – they’re a tad bigger than a tui, but smaller than a wood pigeon. They look beautiful – a dusky grey/blue colour, and despite their erratic flight patterns, they look beautiful.

The Nest.

Some facts that I picked up from Dave about the kokako:

-      - Kokako are territorial, and they need  a large area to nest build. They’re not very good fliers, and the sound of their glide is more sporadic than a tuis (more powerful, and ‘motored’), and lighter than a wood pigeon (heavy and clunky, sounds clumsy).

-      -  The birds are blue/grey with bright blue wattles. In the past, there used to be a different species of kokako in the South Island with orange wattles – however, they’re now extinct. The North Island now has only a few orange wattled Kokako.

-      -  Kokako generally have only one mate (although they can ‘switch’ in the event of a death of a mate, causing a domino-like effect).

-       They have different calls, depending on the region so a translocated kokako (e.g. from Malborough) may not readily mate with a Hunua kokako, although the F1 (filial 1) generation will.

-       - Kokako nests range from 30 – 40 cm in diameter, and are generally situated 8 – 20 metres above the ground.

-       - The birds are poor fliers and will generally hop from tree to tree – or climb up to a ridge to glide down. Poor flight also means that they often enter or exit a nest from the same direction.

-       - The mating season of the Kokako is from August to October – this is generally when they sing to each other the most.  ‘tuk tuk’ noises are used for general conversation (similar to a chicken’s ‘bwk bwk’), while the ‘meow/bell/organ like’ peal is generally used as a territorial call.

-      -  The females normally nest from November onwards.

-       - During the nesting time, the females leave the nest only once every 1.5 hours.

-       - The male returns to the female every 3 -4 times that she leaves the nest. Similarly, the greater the number of chicks (1-3), or the older the chicks, the more frequently the female and male return to/leave the nest.

-       - The best time to band the chicks is when they’re 0 -  2 weeks old (or 10 days?).

-       - Approaching the chicks at an older age can result in them enacting kamikaze like dive bomb from the tree (not good.)

 Success! 

It was a fantastic experience. The bush is a beautiful place and one worth visiting and connecting with. I definitely recommend that you peps visit it sometime! Bird monitoring is something that's certainly worth trying :)

Day 137

Off to Hunua to help with kokako nest finding!

Thank you Savita, Neesh, and Helen for your donations!

Day 121!

Am feeling an amazing sense of freedom! Today was the final exam of the year for Biomed and looking back, it has been one incredible, fantastic, and completely mindblowing year (no pun intended). I have had the opportunity to meet so many fantastic people, learn from the most amazing of lecturers, tutors and friends, learn to much about the subjects I love and learn so much more as a person.

When I first started uni, I felt as if it were like a race - a running oval with a track and lines that one had to  follow and continuously 'keep up' with. Now I've come to realise that it's not like that. University creates the environment for us to grow. It's an open plain - a broad expanse dotted with mountains. It's the savannah. Open for us to run, jump, climb and leap as far as we want to, as hard as we would like. It's a catalyst for growth, and it's one of the most epic experiences of my life.

However, with the love of uni in mind, I am still however feelingso excited for the upcoming break - for the opportunity to take a slower run at the events up ahead, to get back into playing badminton, aikido, to go for those long runs without having to worry about the time, to draw, paint, take photos, write, read, play on the piano, the guitar, learn a new language, meet up with friends... all the things which I've have to put aside for so, so long throughout these past two semesters. I'm bubbling with excitement just thinking about this :)

Will post more soon!

Arohanui tout le monde :)

Joy Walpole! Thank you for your incredible donation!! It's completely brightened up this study period :)

Day 102:

The Life of a Student: 


The works of Milton on her bedside table.
          A copy of Ancient Rome on the bathroom sill.
In her room - a piano, anchored solidly next to the bed.

Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata (First Movement).

Form of music? Pop-Opera - Il Divo to be exact.

A desk larger than the dinner table
littered with Spectroscopy notes, and biological musings.
Textbooks lay strewn
at the foot of the bed.

On the whiteboard - Vergil
...macte nova virtute... sic itur ad astra...




Study break update...reminiscing over Semester 1...













Edit:
Woooooow.... I've gone past DAY 100 without realising it! Talk about tempus fugit! Went to the  fantastic Bigger and Better Event run by I Am Challenge this afternoon! Keen to see what teams ended up getting for one dollar? Check out: www.facebook.com/iambiggerandbetter - they've gotten bikes, fishing rods, an incredibly unique photo frame and even a Louis Vitton handbag... 

Day 94

Was walking down Symonds St. on Friday evening against the tide of people heading home (I was heading back to IC4) when an approaching guy suddenly goes from being pan face to cracking this massive grin and greeting me on the way past!

'Hi Carmen!!'

That completely made my night. :)
Couldn't help but grin while studying Medsci.

Day 92

I found this really interesting. Definitely worth a read!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19876494

'An infant must know that it's loved because only then can it trust the risky business of coming to love others. This first love resources us as life unfolds, bringing confidence and courage, spontaneity and drive, a sense of safety and of being grounded....What good self-love achieves, Aristotle continued, is the capacity to get over yourself. Then you are liberated to see that there's a world around you. You are not king or queen. Instead, you know you are one of many, and those many are there to love and be with, to be known by and to get to know. You have time for others because you do not need to have all the time for yourself. You are a delight to be with, having taken in the first love of your parents and now being able to live it yourself.'

Day 82

Why is it that the most interesting experiences always occur on the bus?

Today, I was approach by an elderly Chinese couple while boarding, and after asking me if I were Chinese, the grandfather began to ask me for directions on how to reach ’XX Rd’ – in Mandarin. I managed to pick up on what he was asking about (it helped that he had a map with him) and began to give him in a reply in my shaky Mandarin, and you know what? They understood me!

So, I while I was conversing with them, liaising with the bus driver and fellow passengers about where the road might be, I couldn’t help but feel this huge send of incredulity that they could understand what I was saying. For those who know me, Mandarin isn’t my first language. While I take classes, I've always have that irking doubt about whether I would actually be understood.

So. Am feeling over the moon right now. I managed to speak (somewhat) effectively in Mandarin, and also help someone through having this skill! I feel so glad that I knew a bit of the language, and was able to help them. Getting the chance to talk to them and meet so many fascinating people in the process was  so amazing.

Like wearing the t-shirt, languages enables us to form a connection with other people. Communication leads to connection, and with connection comes understanding. Imagine if we could all speak the langauges of the the world. Like what my physics lecturer said, it would be 'way cool'. :)

Day 79!!

It's been a fantastic week!! The sun's shining and I'm now over a fifth of the way through the challenge!! The T-shirts have made life just so interesting on an everyday level.

A common question that has been asked of me is this: Why are you doing it? What is the purpose of it all? Without a background, this might seem to be a tad nonsensical, perhaps a bit wacky and if you read my introduction on the left, you'll see that I thought so too. Ultimately I think that we Challengers all have our individual reasons for joining. Certainly I've been growing as a person through this journey, and a funny thing that I've found myself coming to wish that everyone wore a T-shirt with their name on it.  Even more interesting is that I get a lot of responses from people saying that they were 'glad that they didn't have to worry about forgetting my name' if they saw me next time. It makes me wonder about the function of a name and associated role that it plays in a society - They're so important why?

The paradoxical thing about life is that we are individuals, and yet we're all interconnected (for you scientists out there: everything is made of atoms :)). We celebrate individuality, and we also celebrate unity.  As a person, it so difficult to realise that. So really, my reason for wearing the shirts is this: It's because I seek to connect with others. In wearing the t-shirt, I am showing that I'm human. Me without the frills - and if you know my name, perhaps we can be one step closer to forming a connection. :)

As for this week, a silently hilarious moment for me was going to a function with AIESEC and being given a 'name tag' to wear on top of my shirt. It was the strangest feeling, and a entertaining element of the event included seeing people trying to squint at the name on that tag before realising what was written on the shirt......

So that's all from me for now! Biomed is churning along now -  I've calculated that I probably save 2 hours a week from just cutting down on my dressing time. :)


Live.

Every moment :)

~ Carmen

Day 74: A Simple Reminder

A update on life: I wrote this a few hours back as a personal memo so its unedited. 

I had just bused home, I had gotten off at my stop. I was tired. It’s been a busy few days. Holding a biochemistry book in one arm, and slinging my bag onto my back, with eyes half closed I began to trudge home.

As I was waiting at the traffic light (it had just turned green), I had with closed eyes, thrown my head back and when I next opened them I saw the waxing moon above me. The sky was blue. It surprised me. Never had this image seemed so vivid.  I then realised that there was this breeze blowing around me and like a painting, there were these creamy clouds in the distance. There were trees – the vividest green I’ve seen after a long day in OGG. Bushes poked out of domiciles in the distance and marigolds lay in the council plot to my side. It seemed odd, and suddenly, for that single moment, I felt as if I were some visitor from another planet looking at my world with new eyes.

The waxing moon, the trees, that strange breeze. Never had the sky seemed to blue.

Blue.

The. Sky. Was. Blue.

I walked back down my street in a haze. I never often realise it, but heading west, I could see the sun setting behind the church. Suddenly, I realised that the cherry trees on my street had begun to bloom, and I saw a sparrow form a silhouette on an upper branch in the dying rays. Builders yarned among their machinery, and in the distance - behind quiet birdsong were the muted sounds of cars from the main road.

These are the sights of everyday life. Yet I have been so focused on school work, uni, assignments, tests that I have forgotten beauty of the everyday world that I live in. So used was I to being indoors that I had forgotten the vivid view of nature. To realise that every moment is filled with an overwhelming sense of organic beauty. This is the world.

(Incidentally, I was wearing a the blue I Am t shirt on the way home. Isn't it amazing how we have the ability to don on colours that reflect an element of the world around us?)

Day 72

Amy! Thank you for your donation yesterday :) I really appreciate it

Day 71

What a great day for the Challenge! A fifth of the way through, and a quarter of the way to the goal!

One thing that I'm finding the most rewarding about this is simply being able to meet so many fantastic people, and making that instant connection. It's certainly gotten me talking a lot!


Thank you Issy and Shu for your donations today :)

Day 67

Arkangel

I look,

                But you never listen.

You gaze at me,

                But never weep.

The stars are impinged on by

                A thousand souls.

They speak Soft!

                ...Yet never sleep.

Einstein

Day 63

Hello World! How are you all today?

So, what's been up?

The first week of the second half of semester is always a busy time - had a few assessments on the first day back, and being one of those 'biomed' students, I've been churning away at the desk (lol my excuse for the recumbence :)

It was great getting back on campus again. I've had so many people just say 'hi' to meet all over the place, and I must admit, life is so much easier when dressing constitutes of deciding what t-shirt colour to wear!

A highlight this week: Meeting Dan!!!! - Dan Callum founder of IAM. Had some a great conversation with him over breakfast. It was amazing talking such an inspirational person (yes Dan - you Are) - so it's reallly exciting to hear of all the things that he's got planned.


I would like to propagate a challenge to all you readers out there: 

The next time that you 'eat out' - coffee, meal, whatever, I challenge you (and whoever you're with with!) to order something radically different on the menu - or (even better), go to a different restaurant and get the person serving to choose for you.

How else would you experience something new? Change is a part of life, and learning's when you're living :)

For the record:
In asking Candy to choose, Dan and I ended up receiving a White Chocolate Latte (off the menu!), and a Feijoa Smoothie. Now that's pretty cool.


Anyway, to finish off, it's great to note that Spring's here! (Finally) the lambs are bouncing and students are starting to come out from hibernation. 

Current amount fundraised: $215

Day 47

Thoughts while on a run:

Perfect allegory

The fact

Light travels

In straight

Lines,

A wonder.

Behold!

The paradigm of physics,

The ultimate synaesthesia of photons and superimposition…

‘Perfection’.

Yet,

(Consider this!)

What’s seen,

Is

Light’s deviation

(The refraction, as they say)

Wherein then

lies

The perfect line?

(BTW: Did I ever mention that running in these T-shirts make an interesting experience? Running in cotton didn't use to be a regular thing for me, and I must admit, I have never missed, or appreciated my regular gear so much! I must say, though I have had very interesting experiences quand je me porte ces t-shirts ;))

Day 36

Terri, thank you for sponsoring. Good luck for your army test! :)

Day 35

It's a been a while! To be honest, wearing the T-shirts daily has to be a 'part of life'.
I would like to thank Newz for sponsporing me! This day is completely dedicated to you!
Right now, I'm currently wearing the 'medium blue' coloured t-shirt.


 I shall do a huge update soon reflecting on how it's been so far - so keep an eye out for that!

Otherwise, good luck everyone for upcoming tests, and all the best! Haven't you noticed that during this period, time becomes such a valued and treasured commodity? It's great :)

Day 28

A post dedicated to Vicky :)
 Thank you for sponsoring!

Day 27

With things stepping up a pace, I must admit that it's great just wearing one type of clothing around! The Grand Total has surpassed the $200 mark - As of today, it now lies at $206 Dollars!

Jade and Nancy, thank you for sponsoring me today!

Day 25

Day 24

So today I wore a mix of teal, grey and red. Teal for teaching, grey for gym, and red for running around in such a great world :)

Thank you Kate and Mr Toe Knee for sponsoring me! I am honking with appreciation ;)

The grand total currently lies at $199 dollars! Almost at $200! Thank you so much for all the support everyone!

Day 23

Day 22

What a day!
Wore the green shirt to class.
Wore the grey shirt to the gym.
.......Wore the black shirt to a formal interview (for OE). I would say that dressing for today's interview has been the biggest challenge for me. I felt half insane for doing so at the time.. In an interview, a lot of what one wears often creates a sense of their character - and yet for one year, I've challenged myself to wearing clothing which drives me to define myself in a way other than through clothing. I suppose this really drove me to the core of this challenge. Why does clothing mean so much to us? We're technically the only living things in the animal kingdom to wear things!! To be honest, initially, I felt as if I were wearing this huge placard on my chest.

It turned out to be a positive experience, I found that a lot of the people involved could relate to it, and it turned out to be a point of conversation that I could talk about. In retrospect, I'm glad that I chose to do so - I feel as if somehow I've learnt something from it.

 Also, all the support from people still continues to overwhelm me. Natalia - thank you for donating towards the cause!

Current total raised: $177.00

Day 21

In times where everything is so busy, it's actually becoming a real comfort to wear the shirt. Funnily enough, it's so exciting to decide what colour I would wear in the morning! Even when I had significantly more choice before starting this, clothing never used to ignite so much interest in the early hours. Small pleasures :)

Day 20!

I am now 0.0547945205 of the way through the challenge! Excited!!

Today I wore purple. Imagine that ;)

Day 19

Day 18

Day 17

Sparrow 

I watch but never see you. 

(How could I not have noticed?)

My constant companion 

you crane 

your head 

at Me and 

hop delicately 

closer.

Day 16

It sounds like a paradox, but there's an element truth in it : I Am beginning to enjoy the freedom of having a limited choice in what to wear.  :)

Day 15

Today, this little duck swam in the sea of tertiary education
Erstwhile it was a pleasing past-time, analysis of this physical motion showed it to be possible only metaphorically.
Amy! Thank you for sponsoring me!
Last words?. Good night :)

Day 14

Aaand she puts on purple once more.

One would hardly call it cerulean (although the horizon this morning was thus). Yet, in retrospect it appeared somewhat appropriate: it matched the cover of her MEDSCI142 course guide. Despite the irony, that was somewhat satisfying.

In a world where cerulean coloured T-shirts were rare, you had to settle for the (very!) small pleasures.



Thank you for sponsoring me Daniel! I enjoyed the conversation that we had ;)

Day 13

What a day! Today felt like the first day of Spring, finally didn't feel too cold this morning! Wore the light blue tee to celebrate :)

I would like to say a huge thank you to Frank, Christine and Nancy for sponsoring me today!

The grand total currently lies at $125.50

Day 12

A bright colour to contrast with that weather today :) 

Day 11

The depths of my wavelength

Are of shortened frequency.

I am the yonder – beyond azure.

I represent freedom.

The cold heart. 

安息

Day 10

I have now cycled through all ten t-shirts! My, my, tempus fugit - only 355 days to go in the challenge! Theoretically, if I wore the t-shirts in a cycle everyday, it would cycle through them all 36.5 times. That's going to be interesting. According to statistics, the average number of cycles that a t-shirt goes through in its lifetime is 40 cycles. Funnily enough, I've never actually considered that when I wear 'normal clothing'. Have you?

All Ten upon the day of arrival. 

Day 9

WOW! Just over one week in and the $100 marker has been reached!!!!!! I was going to post a notice when the $100 mark had been raised, but - wow, I logged on to see that it had been surpassed!  The current total lies at $117.00

Thank you to everyone who has sponsored me so far for making this possible! Let's keep it up, and the ward for Kidney Kids will be built in no time!

I would also like to say a big thank you - Wenzin, for sponsoring me today - and for all the support that you and Zie have given me these past few days with everything that's been going on.

Today I wore teal. Funnily enough, whenever I hear the word, it reminds me of a blue duck. I've no idea why, really. 

??

Le huitième jour

Le huitième jour! Aujourd'hui, je portais une t-shirt bleu fonce - c'etait un grande experience! Merci beaucoup pour des personnes que me parrainer - en particulier Reuben - Merci.

Bonne nuit tout le monde :)

(P.S. I've tried to be as grammatically correct as possible, but I apologise for any errors! It's been a while since I've written in French - Feel free to correct me if you spot any mistakes, I'll be happy to know :)

Day 7!

FINALLY HIT THE ONE WEEK MARK!
YAY!!  51 more to go :)


So far, it's been an amazing experience. Over the past week, I have met and talked to so many people who have been so supportive about the cause. Each time, I can't help but feel so awed by the awesomeness of everyone that I've met, and for the support that I have received by so many. I would like to say a huge thank you to Kailun and the Marvellous Marvin for sponsoring me today! Thank you so much for your support guys, I will endeavour to do you proud :)

Wearing the shirt is beginning to subtly change elements of my life already is so many ways. Although I expected it, it is still surprising to find that the time taken for me to dress has been cut down - exponentially.

Funnily enough, still feels rather strange to wear such boldly colourful pieces of clothing. I'm still slightly surprised at myself when I actually realise it.

Today I wore orange. For the first time in my life. I have not in memory ever worn orange. Orange.
It was quite a momentous experience. I couldn't help wishing that I had a green jesters hat to wear.


It would've been quite cool to go to uni as a carrot.

Daaaaaaay 6!

WoOoOoot! I would like to say a great thank you for the support of you peps at uni today!

I would also like to say a massive THANK YOU to drunken_macster for sponsoring me in the Challenge, as well as everyone else for the pledges of support!

Today I wore the 'iridescent green, and Nick and Brodie who knows what tomorrow may bring? ;)

Day 5

What a day! Finally got the chance to set up the fundraising page and launched the Challenge to the world.
I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who have responded to show me such an amazing amount of support.  I would like to give me deepest thanks to Anzie, Robbie and Elana for getting right behind me and sponsoring me at http://www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/i_am_carmen/, and to all others who have pledged to help and support me with the cause. It's been overwhelming. It would be true to say that you guys truly give me the fire to keep burning. 


Today I wore what I can best describe as 'duck blue'. The camera didn't turn the colour out too well, but this is the best representation of it that I can find. 


(And Joy, Yes, I'll wear it tonight :))

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/jdcb42/294375113/

'Really? I was thinking of perhaps just a nice duck-egg blue with a few stars' - Terry Pratchett

Day 4

So, I've finished my first (half) week of wearing the shirt, and now it's the weekend! Today I chose to wear gray, except that it was called the exquisite name of 'Wafer'. (I've no idea why it's called 'Wafer'.  I don't think that Wafers are gray....or are they? )

Day 3

Today I wore purple. Ah! The colour of emperors, the epitome of classical antiquity derived from snails! Day 3 already! Only 363 days to go...

Day 2

So, second day of the challenge! Decided to wear the 'royal blue' T-shirt and couldn't help thinking that it matched the colour of the sky this morning :)

Met a fellow Challenger today - she had been doing it for EIGHT months. Wow. Somehow, I don't think that it's hit me that I'm going to be doing this for an entire year.... another 364 days!


Had my first experience today where someone greeted me by my name - before I told them what it was. This was at the sushi bar, and it was a fascinating experience! At first, I was slightly confused ("How di-d you -(ah.... Right) - know?"). Well, at that point, I felt that I should know his too, and an interesting conversation was sparked right there. It's great how the shirt's an icebreaker. Have you ever had those great conversations with people and then end up leaving without even knowing their name? It's nice for a change to start with a solid introduction :)
 [As a side note, I also had a great conversation about the subject with a few particular persons at my Lab today ;)]

Day One

So, I was so excited to begin the challenge (have been waiting since June) that I decided to wear the red t-shirt to uni today. I was planning to start on a momentuous day to mark this journey, but then, as they say carpe diem?

Every day's supposed be special, right?

Interesting things that I noted :

1. I felt immediately more open for some reason and felt very conscious that my name was emblazoned, if not on my forehead, then on my chest and that funnily enough people knew my name before I introduced myself to them. (Surprise surprise!)

2. It felt 100x times awkward walking late into a  small lecture for the first time – especially when the podium was near the door…

3. I actually felt the impulse and excitement in hanging up my clothing into the wardrobe. It'll be interesting to see how it goes when I'm limited to wearing only one type of shirt for an entire year.....

Arrival of the T-Shirts!

Tuesday 17th of July 2012

Excited! They were sitting on the front step when I came home this afternoon! Was so keen to see what they looked like that opened it right there and then. Wow, double rai-, no triple, no - deca rainbow!! So many colours. It's going to be interesting to see how I find wearing them after going 'dark' in my teenage years :) Tried them on to make sure that the size fit (it did - perfectly (phew!)) and spent some time getting them all nice and organised in a colour coded fashion :) - now I just have to set up the fundraising!

So keen to start the challenge!