Who’s got a skill, a whim, an urge or a quality? I say don’t delay, display it!  Have a go; you will feel fantastic. Last week I co-choreographed a dance to two of the latest Chemical Brothers tracks to hit the air-waves, “Salmon Dance” and “Battle Scars”; painted a successful acrylic on canvas painting, blagged my way into a very plush party and held a great meeting regarding my next party on December 1st. As a result of this, on top of what you are about to read, I had a pretty good week, and I trust you all did to.

How ‘bout those Breakers? Just awesome guys! Glumly we have to wait until November 1st to see if they can make it 3 home wins in a row. They had the wood on the Adelaide 36ers from the first quarter to the last. I had to dart off before the end but Krissy, last weeks Breakers ticket winner, kept me updated till the end.

I caught the last half of the Vodafone Music Awards and wasn’t at all enthralled; the bars were all closed, so the nearby “Tanuki’s Cave” and “The Playhouse” got my business. There were the usual scatterings of dolled-up NZ celebrities, who only paid attention to those of worth (i.e. those that could advance their careers, or give them the best bonking session ever, or even better – both). Some had obviously found the free booze backstage, as walking, let alone communicating, seemed a struggle. There were no wild antics, significant speeches or tomfoolery of any type (definitely an avenue that has to be addressed for next year – I’d be glad to assist).

The after party, although exceedingly hard to get into, was superb. Piles of beer, if you like Steinlager Pure, top shelf vino and “V” with vodka. I stuck to the latter and bounced on the dance-floor for hours. I haven’t been to a party like this before where the music was so in-tune; people were having a ball. Top marks to Ben Mitchell and Petra Bagust for getting involved, and mixing with us commoners. Take note all you NZ celebs out there.

All great after parties should have an after after-party. The music awards one was at Crow Bar, it was messy to the max and fab fun. No real embarrassments as far as I could see, which wasn’t all that far. With there not being many other alternatives, I couldn’t resist and ducked down to Pony for a quick look. “Sing Sing” was surprisingly OK, the slump in every area in previous weeks must have been isolated, as I heard new music, saw familiar happy faces, was served well by the staff and drank tasty cocktails. On a roll, we belted down to Spy for The Groove Academy. It was shut. Thinking there must be some kind of mistake I wrapped loudly for a minute before a drousy Jamie ascended and explained that I was way too late and should try again in 20 hours time. I accepted his challenge.

Friday night was sad and slow all over town, everyone having nipped away for the long weekend or saving themselves for the following evening. It was “Sundown” on Saturday that I was also excited about and semi-saving myself for; the first dance party at Stonyridge for the 07/08 season and for the early-birds there was a lingerie show at 5pm to spark the event.

Like many others I caught the 4pm ferry, just. That’s where my party started, old friends, new friends, former girlfriends and soon-to-be friends everywhere. The bus from the terminal to the vineyard was just as social, bringing back memories of a certain mystery bus trip a few weeks ago. We arrived and bounded up to see the Miss Lingerie 2007 contestants. The judges got it right and Hannah Norton won, again, with Abby Hart second. Following this result it was all go, the stage was cleared and big-tunes sounded and didn’t cease till midnight.

It was great to get back into the super vibe that’s created at Stonyridge parties, but it was just like all the others really. The only added extras there from its usual restaurant set up were a smoking/chill-out marquee, some lights, boosted sound and a DJ. To be honest I was expecting a little more. A few surprises or even an extra alternative music zone would have been nice. Hats off to Adam B and Stephen White though, they do know how to create hype and run a tight ship. One big gripe is the recent commercialism of the parties at Stonyridge; is there any way that some of the patrons can be screened? When I arrived 2 people were being ejected, and a couple of hours later I had to see to another being escorted from the party, for throwing books aimlessly from the bookshelf. It’s not all about money.

The after-party at Spy was jammed, it rarely get’s this busy (hopefully it will though this Saturday for my party, “Sleepless” down there), there was even a 4 wide, 10 deep queue.

Sunday saw me rise after 80 minutes rest and drive to Matakana, to see the Hilbron sisters defend their “Shear a Sheep, Eat a Pie, Drink a Pint” crown. After 3 hours of watching the opposition’s technique they were up, sadly 2:21 didn’t cut it this year. The Rhyburn Fencing team took out the grand prize, with Paddison Engineers a close second.

I loved the event. They say this annual event, coupled with The Gala (on the previous day) is the jewel in Matakana’s crowd-pulling crown. It’s huge, even worth hiring a house there for Labour Weekend ‘08. It’s a great place so go visit: vineyards, the ocean, walking tracks, avant garde yet old-style-looking architecture, restfulness…I could go on, but go see for yourself.

Feeling sheepish, the car ride back was slightly somber; what better way to cheer up than to go to a party. It was Sara’s 21st (plus a few). We were some 6 or 7 hours late but did our best to catch-up. Many had been at Stonyridge the previous night, gone separate ways afterwards, freshened up then re-grouped here, so there were all states. I played more of a support role and observed the hilarity.